Torkelson: Edgy start to Muslim's holy month

By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 25, 2006 at midnight

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Peace, war, the pope and the Battle of the Ditch: All those topics surfaced Sunday as I went in search of a story on the first day of Ramadan at Colorado's largest mosque at 2071 S. Parker Road.

Muslims call Ramadan the month of peace, but this one got as edgy as the day's news.

A buzz filled the mosque's hallways, though that morning fasting had begun from dawn until dusk for adults and youths 12 and over. As prescribed by the prophet Muhammad 1,400 years ago, Muslims do good deeds and refrain from food and drink during this holy month to get closer to God.

But even during Ramadan, life goes on. Here, about 100 Muslim children, ages 4 to 18, are learning about Islam during the fall classes, called Sunday School. Female teachers in scarves and long dresses lectured. One had written on her blackboard the words "Battle of the Ditch."

In the office, teachers chatted amiably. Sayeeda Ghani from India said she got up at 4 a.m. to fix a breakfast of Indian bread and fried eggs before dawn hit. Ghazala Khan - "Ghazala, spelled with an A, like America," she chuckled - is from Pakistan.

The talk turned to world events. Khan thinks asking hard questions about Islam will bring good results: "People didn't know about Islam before 9/11. They were curious. And the media is trying to damage the image of Islam. People like to find out themselves."

I agree, saying readers are curious, uneasy, suspicious. The pope quotes a 14th century writer and his life is threatened, churches are burned, a nun is killed . . . ?

Oh, but Islam is peaceful and has been throughout history, Khan protested. In August, the same point was made by the mosque's imam, Ammar Amonette, at an open house for the neighborhood.

But history begs otherwise. Why, the ancient cities of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem and Constantinople were all established Christian patriarchies until they fell to Islam, I tell her. That didn't happen during a tea party.

In March, an Islamic court in Afghanistan prescribed execution for a Christian convert. The preaching of other faiths is forbidden in many Islamic countries. A Pakistani Christian, now in Colorado, told me of hiding from Muslim forces in his church, braced for death.

Khan repeated that Islam is a religion of peace and gave me the name of an Islamic scholar to consult. (Later Sunday, Mohammad Noorzai, the mosque's executive director, said only he or the imam can speak for the Colorado Muslim Society, and he wondered why I had to bring up such vexing things on Ramadan. I observed that sometimes religions are called on by events to face hard questions. Catholics have faced difficult questions during the sex scandal. This may be Islam's turn.)

Earlier, speaking of the pope, Ghani said, "He should be cautious and more respectful in what he says," and added that some people "have to show their anger."

Shouldn't Muslims be equally respectful?

"Islam says practice tolerance - but be assertive," said Rakhshi Hamid. The consensus among the teachers: They wouldn't turn to violence but couldn't speak for others.

And what's the Battle of the Ditch, which students learned about in Sunday School? Muslims of Medina repulsed attacking unbelievers from Mecca in 627. I asked for details.

"Islam won," said Hamid, then corrected herself. "Actually, God won."

torkelsonj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5055

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