In this Feb. 5, 2010 photo, Allah, is etched on the prayer room door as Sena Rahim stands outside at the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park, Ill. U.S. Muslims are waging a debate about how much English they can use inside mosques without violating Islamic law or losing the authenticity of their faith. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (Charles Rex Arbogast, AP / February 5, 2010)
by RACHEL ZOLL
Sana Rahim was born in the cowboy country of southeastern Wyoming, to Pakistani parents who had emigrated so her father could earn a doctorate.
She speaks Urdu with her family, but can’t read or write the language. She recites prayers in Arabic, but doesn’t know exactly what each word means.
Now a 20-year-old junior at Northwestern University, she, like many other American-born Muslims, is most comfortable with sermons and lectures in English, although they can’t always find U.S. mosques that offer them.
“I don’t really get the time to study Arabic,” Rahim said. “With all the different groups in America, English is a unifying thing that ties us together.”
Like Jewish immigrants who fought over English-language prayer and Roman Catholics who resisted the new Mass in English, U.S. Muslims are waging their own debate about how much English they can use inside mosques without violating Islamic law and abandoning their culture.
LA Times for more
(Submitted by reader)