By Nancy Elbassiouny, IOL Correspondent
COLUMBUS, Ohio Thousands of Muslims from across the US and Canada welcomed
the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which started Monday, September 1, by joining
the largest congregation for Tarawih prayer in the history of North America.
"It is an amazing site to see thousands of Muslim men, women and children
standing shoulder to shoulder with their fellow Muslims of their gender and
simultaneously bowing down in prayer to God in worship," a Greek Orthodox woman
who only identified herself as Helen told IslamOnline.net.
"I've never seen anything quite like this."
Helen joined many non-Muslims who watched with admiration as thousands of
Muslims prayed in unison.
The Tarawih, a special nightly prayer performed during Ramadan, marked the
conclusion of the annual Islamic Society of North American (ISNA) convention.
It began shortly after 9:30 pm Sunday, August 31, in the large prayer hall of
the convention center.
For Barbara Pouros, a Cincinatti resident wearing a brown, orange and beige
hijab even though she had not yet formally converted to Islam, the Tarawih was
the highlight of the ISNA convention.
Asked what drew her to Islam, she recalled that after meeting a Muslim one month
after 9/11 and being invited to his mosque, she wanted to know more about
prayer.
"So I did a lot of research on the Internet to figure out what was being said in
the prayer.
"I like the simple quiet, rustling of fabrics and bowing my head to the ground.
This makes Islam so rich and full."
Entertainment
A couple of hours before the Tarawih, many Muslims attended ISNA's entertainment
program, which featured several poets, Nasheed singers and a comedian.
The house was packed with an enthusiastic audience.
The looks on the children's faces sitting next to their parents reflected the
joy and happiness of the evening.
"This is the happiest day of my life," Ahmed Khan, a ten-year-old fourth grader
from Houston, told IOL.
"I want to be a Nasheed singer like Native Deen. They are my favorite group."
Native Deen, a famous Nasheed group, participated in several youth activities
during the ISNA convention.
Aisha Mohamed, a 12-year-old originally from Somalia, had a similar dream.
"When I grow up, I wanna be a comedian and make people laugh."
Source: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1220266451876&pagen\
ame=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
