Muslim Voices

Over the last several years wersquo;ve been hearing the idea that the United States must become energy independent ndash; that itrsquo;s a matter of national security the country ween itself off of foreign oil. What we donrsquo;t hear as often is how that weening could affect the countries producing that oil ndash; several of which are located in the Persian Gulf region and are Muslim. Ahmad Shikara is a researcher at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi. Hersquo;s also an expert on security and energy issues in the Persian Gulf. Shikara spoke with Rosemary Pennington about what people in the Gulf think of the idea of energy independence, and about President Barack Obamarsquo;s pledge to forge a ldquo;new way forwardrdquo; with the Muslim World.

Last year, PBS stations across the country aired the movie ldquo;On a Wing and a Prayer: An American Muslim Learns to Fly.rdquo; Over the course of 60 minutes viewers were introduced to Monem Salam, a Muslim American of Pakistani origin trying to get his pilotrsquo;s license. Along the way viewers met his family, visited his workplace and went with him as he spoke with members of a Christian church about his Muslim faith. And, in the end, were rewarded with a birdrsquo;s eye view of Salamrsquo;s first solo flight. But his journey wasnrsquo;t always easy. There were rickety planes to deal with, one flight school that wouldnrsquo;t talk with him as well as a film crew to contend with. But, as Salam tells Rosemary Pennington, it was well worth the trouble. Monem Salam is a financial adviser living and working in the Pacific Northwest, as well as a member of the executive board of the Islamic Society of North America. View the trailer for On a Wing and a Prayer below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE8lgOrM3k8

Growing up is difficult for anyone, with the teen years being especially noted for their trials and tribulations. But, when yoursquo;re different, it seems as though those trials are only exacerbated. Writer Mohja Kahf is a Muslim woman whose family moved from Syria to the United States in 1971 when she was still just a child. As she struggled with all the normal issues kids deal with growing up, she also struggled with the fact that people did not know much about her religion in fact, they often hated what they thought it stood for. The Islamic center she and her family attended was regularly the target of Ku Klux Klan vandalism. That struggle between her faith and the society in which she lived finds its way into virtually all of Kahfrsquo;s writing. It was the subject of her first novel, ldquo;The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf.rdquo; And itrsquo;s the subject of this shorter piece about footwashing Kahf read during a visit to Bloomington, Indianamdash;ldquo;My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears.rdquo; In ldquo;My Grandmother Washes Her Feet in the Sink of the Bathroom at Sears,rdquo; Kahf paints a picture of her grandmother, washing her feet in the sink of the bathroom and the female Sears employees, watching, horrified. In Islam, it is customary to wash ones feet before prayer. Kahf, stuck in the middle of her familyrsquo;s culture and the culture of her new home, she is torn between ancient custom and modern life as an American citizen.

If you open up an antique book and look at its inside cover, yoursquo;re likely to find the paper there a colorful mix of circles and swirls and linesmdash;more than likely the result of a technique known as ebru or Turkish marbling. Itrsquo;s a technique of transferring color to paper without using a paintbrush and is a difficult art to master. Ihsan Colak is not only a PhD student at Indiana University, but also a marbling artist who has spent the last few years honing his skill. The art of Turkish marbling is called ebru. The technique is the transfer of color to paper without using a paintbrush. Colak uses gouache, not oil paint, to create his works. ldquo;I donrsquo;t think any marbling, ebru, masters know whatrsquo;s going on chemically because itrsquo;s on the surface.rdquo; Colak often demonstrates the craft to Bloomington audiences. ldquo;(The gouache) stays on the water and when you put the paper down, the paper absorbs old color. You see all the color is on the paper without any mess.rdquo; Colak came to the art of marbling after trying his hand in music. He tried various instruments such as the ney, a traditional Turkish flute and the violin. Colak says this art is part of his spirit. When he is marbling, he is taken to someplace else other than this world.

The idea of the Christian West and the Muslim East clashing over the control over global affairs has been long been a source of controversy. Some people say the conflict is simplistic and while others say it is going on right now. However, the conflict within Islam itself is not talked about as much. This clash is between Muslims who adhere to a very strict extreme form of political Islam and liberal Muslims who believe Islam needs to be reformed to meet the demands of modern life. Dr. Bassam Tibi, a liberal Islamist, has spend decades studying Islam and the religionrsquo;s relationship with the West. From his time spent in Germany, he has formulated the idea of ldquo;EuroIslamrdquo; ndash; a form of the faith that retains Islamic duties and principles while incorporating the values of European society. ldquo;To talk about one monolithic Islam is stupidity, ignorance and also prejudice,rdquo; says Tibi. Tibirsquo;s agenda is to Europeanize Islam as opposed to Mr. Taric Ramadanrsquo;s idea is Islamizing Europe. The main reason, according to Tibi, that the reformists are losing ground is due to lack of funds and Western support. He likens the campaign for westernizing Islam to a president running for office who has no money. Tibi calls Islamists lsquo;the enemy,rdquo; who have control of the mosques, have funds, donors, infrastructure and the financial support outside of Europe. ldquo;The New York Times stopped publishing me and they publish Taric Ramadan,rdquo; said Tibi. ldquo;The government corners me and deals with Islamists.rdquo; He claims himself to be pro-western and pro-America, but doesnrsquo;t see any help from the west. He sees the West helping the Islamists. ldquo;In rhetoric they speak on the war of ideas for democracy of Islamism, but in fact, they support Islam.rdquo;

This month, Muslim Voices is launching an occasional series exploring Women in Islam. Last week featured artist Uzma Mirza who sees Islam as a beautiful thing, not oppressive. The oppression, she says, comes from the behavior of Muslims themselves. But thatrsquo;s not how writer Taslima Nasrin sees it. Taslima Nasrin grew up in a Muslim household in Bangladesh. Her mother was quite observant, her father less so. So, while Islam was a part of her childhood, it wasnrsquo;t a huge part. Nasrin says when she got older she read a copy of the Qurrsquo;an in her native tongue; after doing so she decided Islam was not a religion she could believe in and left the faith. As she grew into adulthood and began working as a gynecologist, Nasrin says she began to see Islam as an oppressive thinghellip;something that did little to secure the rights of women. ldquo;Before, I blamed the Islamic fundamentalists or any kind of religious fundamentalists because they are all against women,rdquo; said Nasrin. ldquo;But now, I blame the system which made the people fundamentalists.rdquo; Separation Of Religion And State Now, she doesnrsquo;t blame the people of the Taliban, she blames society for a lack of options. The system which she speaks of, the children have no other choice but to get a fundamentalist education, where they are taught the Koran and that you will go to heaven if you kill non-believers and women. Nasrin says that religion and state should be separate and that these scriptures are out of place in the 21st century. ldquo;Religions were created a long time ago. Those religious scriptures can be historical documents. If people want to believe in religion, it is his or her personal matterhellip;Education should be secular and criticism should be allowed.rdquo; Her writing has inflamed governments and gotten her thrown out of Bangladesh and India. The fundamentalists in those countries did not like her books and hated her, she said. She was shocked when she was thrown out of India, the worldrsquo;s largest democracy. ldquo;I didnrsquo;t get any support from any political party because they have a minority Muslim appeasement policy and they wanted to please Muslims to get votes and didnrsquo;t care to protect a secular writer.rdquo; Nasrin firmly states that if Islam is going to progress it should allow criticism.

The role of women in Islam is a heated topic. On internet message boards, in college classrooms and on the street the mere mention of those two words ndash; women, Islam ndash; produces a strong reaction, both from those who see Islam as a force for equality and from those who see the religion as oppressive of women. March is Womenrsquo;s History Month in the United States and the next two weeks Muslim Voices is launching an occasional series exploring Women in Islam. Over the course of the series wersquo;ll learn about the experience of being female and Muslim from a wide array of sources ndash; including scholars, critics and Muslim women themselves. Today features Fort Wayne, Indiana, based Uzma Mirza. Mirza considers herself a thoroughly Westernized Muslim woman. In her roles as architect, artist and philanthropist Mirza says shersquo;s constantly trying to find her place in the world as well as reconcile her faith in Islam with her sense of self. Mirza says all of her work- her art, architecture and writing- is all woven to critique herself. She has been adamant about the existence of God since she was five years old ldquo;because thatrsquo;s the only thing that safeguards who I am. As not just a woman, not a Muslim woman, but a human being.rdquo; Mirza says that religion often has a tendency to be stagnant, but the prophets of Islam all talked about womenrsquo;s rights. ldquo;I believe todayrsquo;s Muslim men are hijacking Islam. Not even just Muslims ndash; non Muslims. And this problem is not a religious problem. Itrsquo;s a human problem.rdquo; ldquo;I stand for womenrsquo;s issues in the likeness of all prophets,rsquo; says Mirza. ldquo;The prophets are the only people in history that stood up for womenrsquo;s and menrsquo;s and the orphans and the elderly rights.rdquo;

Islam has a long history in Turkey. The religion was adopted early by the various tribes there and it was ultimately the Ottoman Turks who would revive the Sunni caliphate. The caliphate would remain in Turkey until it was abolished in 1924 by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey. Ataturkrsquo;s country was to be a secular nation. Although, not quite in the Western sense. Although outward signs of devotion are prohibited in public, there is an Office of the Directorate of Religious Affairs which controls the practice of Islam within Turkey. A practice this is decidedly Sunni-focused. Tensions have been mounting for years as Turkey struggles with its secular and religious sides. Those tensions came to the forefront with the election of the conservative JDP party six years ago. The JDP was at one time banned in Turkey and came to power claiming to be a moderate, democratizing force in the nation. But, critics think thatrsquo;s little more than hot air, and say recent actions of the JDP prove the party is quite the opposite. Rights For Some Indiana Universityrsquo;s Erdem Cipa grew up in Istanbul and is among those critical of the JDP. ldquo;In my opinion, the manifestation of Islam as a political movement is absolutely incompatible with democracy as we know it,rdquo; said Cipa. Democracy is based on the equality of citizens in the eyes of the law and Cipa says that Islamic law is not at all egalitarian. He says women, minorities and non-Muslims will not have the same rights as Muslims. Currently, the JDP is trying to establish itself as a democratizing force, says Cipa. Although they are making changes that are actually democratic, they are also proposing changes that will take away the rights of a Muslim minority group that makes up 25 percent of the population of Turkey, as well as the rights of women and children. These changes are happening right now and have been the subject of controversy. Cipa said that in the beginning, the JDP had strongly and coherently expressed its democratic ideas to the public, However, they are using their appointment of officials and establishment of the democratic regime to create a traditional Islamic society. ldquo;But later, just because of numbers and electoral processes in Turkey, will lead the people to what they want and according to the JDP, what the people want is an Islamic society.rdquo; Cipa believes that the JDP and Islam can never be the basis for an Islamic society. The two are simply incompatible.

Almost 90% of Uzbekistanrsquo;s population is Muslim, but the religion hasnrsquo;t always been practiced freely there. Uzbekistan is a former member of the USSR. During the Soviet era, few Uzbeks openly practiced Islam ndash; and those that did tended to be older. Things have changed, though, since the country gained its independence in 1991; a larger portion of the population attends mosque, young people are beginning to embrace Islam and some women are even beginning to wear hijab. Indiana Universityrsquo;s Dr. Malik Hodjaev, a lecturer for the Department of Central Eurasian studies, is an Uzbeki native and said that after gaining independence, Muslims were allowed to practice freely and in the open. Independence: Before And After Before independence, mosques were used as storage places, libraries, factories and offices. Only a few mosques were open to the public. While Muslims could still pray at home, there were limitations and difficulties in teaching Islamic youth about their religion. The government would often interfere with Islamic traditions and customs. For example, during Ramadan, school officials and administrators could call fasting students to the office and force them to eat. Adults could face severe punishments and risk losing their jobs if they were caught taking their young to the mosque. After independence, thousands of new mosques were constructed and the old ones were revitalized. Religious programming and publications came about and were given the opportunity to flourish. Before, only a select few could make the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca and now, thousands of Uzbeki Muslims make the trip every year. Even though religious freedom has been restored, government regulations are in place. Since the country borders Afghanistan and Tajikistan, the government fears an increase in extremist and violent groups. Therefore, in order to curb their influence, the Uzbeki government requires mosques to be registered and imams, or mosque leaders, are appointed by government officials.

The diversity of Indianarsquo;s Muslim community is reflected in the Muslim Alliance of Indianarsquo;s (MAI) magazine publication, Muslim Hoosier. The magazine first began in 2003 and is one of a number published across that country that caters to Muslims. Articles in the magazine cover everything from the opening of a new halal butchery to the hardships faced by Muslim politicians in Indiana. The purpose of the magazine is twofold to help Hoosier Muslims better understand their community and to educate those outside of the faith about Islam. The dual purpose of the publication is carefully balanced. Editor of the magazine and Executive Director of MAI, Shariq Siddiqui says, ldquo;Wersquo;re trying to create content that would be interesting to both. . .To know one of the reasons why we highlighted [specific stories] was to let people know within the Muslim community that these things are happening, but at the same time this is a way of humanizing who Muslimrsquo;s are in Indiana.rdquo; Identity And Education Several publications that cater to Muslim, most notably the glossyrsquo;s Islamica and Islamic Horizons, have been criticized for ghettoizing Muslims. However, Siddiqui doesnrsquo;t see it that way. ldquo;I donrsquo;t think they ghettoize. I think what theyrsquo;re doing is trying to keep alive a cultural and religious identity. And thatrsquo;s important,rdquo; he states. The Muslim Hoosier, however, is a type of hybrid publication that allows the MAI to accomplish multiple goals. Siddiqui explains that the dual mission of the magazine has raised some issues including the main question theyrsquo;re facing now; how to select who receives the magazine. ldquo;We started out with elected officials. We then moved onto media, to the newspapers and so on. We then moved onto libraries, all the public libraries in the state. Now there are conversations . . . about adding all the public schools in the state onto that list so that their educators would have that opportunity,rdquo; Siddiqui says. The Muslim Hoosier circulation has nearly doubled over the last several years from 10,000 copies to about 20,000. Itrsquo;s also no longer just an outlet for the MAI, but is becoming a tool for businesses wanting to attract Muslim customers. And the final balance the magazine must produce is one in the community. Siddiqui explains, ldquo;Just because wersquo;re Americans doesnrsquo;t mean that we want to lose out on who we are. I think we can be Americans, we can be Muslims, we can be Hoosiers and therersquo;s a balance there that other communities have been able to achieve and we need to work towards as well.rdquo; You can find copies of the Muslim Hoosier magazine as well as information about the Muslim Alliance of Indiana at the grouprsquo;s website, www.muslimalliancein.com

Therersquo;s a growing ldquo;transnationalrdquo; feeling among Muslim migrants in Europe. Because they are so often people who belong to neither the old countryrsquo;s culture, nor the new countryrsquo;s ideas, these migrants have begun to form a kind of transnational culture of their own. Indiana Universityrsquo;s Cigdem Balim, a senior lecturer in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, studies Muslim transnational communities. A defining characteristic of such communities, she says, is that they move between nations and continents. For example, Muslim immigrants may live in England but have family roots in Pakistan; or a person is born in Germany to a Turkish family, is a German citizen, speaks German, but family ties to Turkey serve as a constant connection to his/her ethnic roots. Balim is one of many academic researchers who believe that Muslim transnationals develop their own culture. ldquo;For example [a culture] which is neither German nor Turkish ndash; a hybrid, if you like, is a culture in which they are very comfortable in actually,rdquo; she says. The Shared Experience: Migration Despite originating from diverse regions around the world, Muslim transnationals form a common culture through the shared migration experience. Referring to author/researcher Azade Seyhan, Balim describes this cultural formation: ldquo;Out of the ashes of many migrations and changing places and continents and countries and languages come this beautiful phoenix bird, which is their very own transnational culture and a way that they can interpret and move between cultures.rdquo; Of course, transnational cultures, with their peripatetic origins, often leave members searching for their individual identities and cultural roots. ldquo;But at the same time,rdquo; says Balim, ldquo;they have an interesting way of looking and evaluating the culture they have come from, their parentsrsquo; have come from, and the culture that they are born into or live in, which makes, for example, the works of authors, filmmakers and artists/painters very interesting indeed.rdquo; The Issue Of Integration At times, however, transnational cultures can hinder their membersrsquo; ability to function within their adopted societies. ldquo;There are all these different ideas and situations and cultural traits that you have to fit into, and yoursquo;re outside the norm of being in a single-language, single-culture situation of your colleagues,rdquo; Balim says. ldquo;But in the long run it pays off, and the world is getting more and more transnational as people migrate more than before.rdquo; Balim is quick to point out that population migrations are nothing new to the human experience. Itrsquo;s just that, for the most part, past migrations largely went unnoticed, she says, and their cultural impacts were unexplored. Nevertheless, world history is filled with examples of border crossings, Balim says, ldquo;so immigration is nothing newhellip; to humankind.rdquo;

A conflict has been raging for decades between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF. The two are at odds over the island of Mindanao. The MILF wants self rule for the region and came close to getting a form of autonomy in August, but the Philippine Supreme Court ruled the agreement unconstitutional. Now, the conflict has risen to acts of violence, including a recent bombing of a Christian area of Mindanao. The conflict is often framed as a religious one; Muslims versus Christians. However, Indiana University doctoral candidate Rafia Zakaria, who recently traveled to the region, explains that the conflict is about much more that just religion. ldquo;This is not really a Muslim problem. It is more an issue of indigenous peoples and their rights. And initially the people of Mindanao were represented by the Moro National Liberation Front which is a secular group. As time has passed the fact that there is a religious difference has become apparent. The people of Mindanao are Muslim opposed to the Catholic, Filipino population. That has kind of led to a hardening of religious identity,rdquo; Zakaria explains. Who Has Control? While the conflict does have some religious implications it is also very politically charged. Zakaria says that in order for autonomy in the Mindanao region, a constitutional amendment must be passed. This amendment is currently very problematic for the MILF because the Philippines current President, Arroyo wants to amend the constitution to allow her another term. President Arroyo is unpopular in the Philippines and if the MILF supports her, it risks losing support. However, if the MILF does not support President Arroyo, their amendment for autonomy will probably not be passed. ldquo;So thatrsquo;s kind of the political conundrum that MILF finds itself in right now. And thatrsquo;s why therersquo;s a lot of talk to just wait until a new administration takes this on,rdquo; states Zakaria. On top of the political trouble the MILF is dealing with, it is also facing uprising violence. Recently there were reports of two blasts in a Christian area of Mindanao during the Christmas shopping season. It raises some question over the control of the MILF. Zakaria states, ldquo;Itrsquo;s a question that we ask them also. . . lsquo;are you actually in control of all factions within the MILF?rsquo; And if you ask them to their face, they say, lsquo;Yes. We are in control of the MILF.rsquo;rdquo; This recent violence has also become politically charged. The MILF has been granted autonomy by the Philippine government to handle these violent acts within their group. The MILF is told to carry out their own investigation against the people that commit violent acts. However, this procedure is not always followed by the Phillipine government which usually investigates the acts and goes after the perpetrators before the MILF. Zakaria says that this type of actionrdquo; hellip; undermines the MILF and then reduces their control over their factions.rdquo; She goes onto explain that, ldquo;Every part essentially then becomes this kind of bargaining issue between the government and the MILF.rdquo; Promoting Dialogue And the violence is tragic amidst the hard work of others in Mindanao. According to Zakaria there is a large majority of Mindanao Muslims that are working to improve interfaith dialogue. She says, ldquo;When something like this happenshellip;it kind of washes over the work that so many others are doing to find a workable solution. I feel terrible for those young university students that are literally putting their lives out trying to have this dialogue.rdquo;

While the Sufi believe they are on a path toward becoming close to God after death, they also believe they can become close to God in this life by devoting their energy to doing things for the love of God. But just as Islam is diverse, so is Sufism with different orders pursing different paths to divine unity. There are some who believe that the Sufi are not even Muslim, that they are instead a spin-off of Islam. Zaineb Istrabadi, a lecturer at Indiana Universityrsquo;s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and an expert in Sufism, describes the particulars. ldquo;They engage in activities to cleanse the heart so that God, who cannot fit in anything, can fit into the heart of his believing servant. This is what Islamic tradition says. But you do not invite a king into a dirty stable, you invite him into a shining clean palace so the Sufis engage in activities to cleanse their heart,rdquo; she states. The Sufi employ techniques, including the remembrance of God, following the virtues in a very conscious way, and engaging in a repetition of some of the divine names. Istrabadi likens these prayers to putting Brasso on a brass vase that has been tarnished and wiping until the surface, which at first might get blackened even more, suddenly starts shining as you keep wiping away. Then it reflects light. ldquo;So it is with these mantras, it brings the heart to life,rdquo; she explains. However, there are some who believe that, instead of a part of Islam, the Sufi are more an offshoot of Islam. Istrabadi disagrees, ldquo;In my opinion, anybody who says lsquo;there is no divinity except God, and Muhammad is his messenger,rsquo; with all of the implications of those two statements, that person is a Muslim.rdquo; Istrabadi reasons that there are some valid criticisms to be made, but those Muslims who say that the Sufi are not Muslims are treading on dangerous ground. She says,ldquo;There is no doubt that there are some things that Sufis do that appear to be outside of Islamic tradition (but) I personally am not interested in the details of how they practice. It is the Almighty who is going to be the ultimate judge.rdquo;

The largest ethnic group in Xinjiang, a province in northwestern China, does not speak Chinese or project the traditional look and religion of the country. The Uyghur (pronounced in English as ldquo;Weegerrdquo;) are a Muslim population now incorporated into China after being conquered in the late 1800s. ldquo;They are Turkic speaking, that is to say their language is entirely different from Chinese; and they are Muslims, which is to say their religion is very different from the well known religions of China proper,rdquo; explains Gardner Bovingdon, an assistant professor in Indiana Universityrsquo;s Department of Central Eurasian Studies. Bovingdon is also an expert on the Uyghur as well as the area of China where they live. Restrictions are in place to practicing an anomalous religion in China, whose constitution guarantees the right to free religious belief but delineates separately what religious practices are legitimate. For years, the government has been very strict in what are determined to be illegal religious practices. Uyghurs over age 18 are allowed to go to mosques and pray as long as they do it in officially recognized mosques. Minors, as well as those who are involved in the government or work for state owned enterprises, are prohibited from practicing their religion. 100 million Chinese citizens are classified as minorities, 20 million of whom are Muslims. Though the Uyghur account for 9.5 million, or about half of the Chinese Muslim population, they are not as well known because they tend to congregate together in an area not internationally traveled and do not have a prominent figurehead.

A Muslim is required to complete Hajj at least once in his or her lifetime, if physically and financially able. About 2.5 million pilgrims complete the journey each year. The experience is one of the five pillars of Islam, and according to some researchers, dates back to the time of the prophet Muhammad, who they say completed Hajj after the defeat of Mecca. On Hajj, Muslims circle the Karsquo;bah, a house rebuilt 4000 years ago, according to Muslim tradition. Rounding the Karsquo;bah seven times is done to re-enact the search for water by Hagar, Ishmaelrsquo;s mother. The pilgrims also throw rocks at stone pillars representing the devil. Muslims who have completed Hajj are known as Hajji. Having completed Hajj twice, once in the mid-1990s and again in 2001, Saleb D. shares his experience. ldquo;My wife and I went to Hajj. It was very hard to describe. I thought I was prepared for what to expect,rdquo; says D. When D. went on the pilgrimage, he explains that he became aware of what an overwhelming experience it was, especially the sense of accomplishment of having completed Hajj. ldquo;When you are circling the Karsquo;bah, or walking to Mina or Muzdalifah,rdquo; said D., ldquo;you cannot really distinguish people from each other, because everyone is wearing exactly the same kind of clothes. You completely lose the distinction between either races or stature. You just move among human beings.rdquo; Ihram is the traditional dress of the Hajj experience. It is made of two white pieces of cloth, designed to remove distinctions of class between the pilgrims. Lelah Debah is another Hajji and has been on Hajj three times, most recently in 1986. She says Hajj is not just about performing rituals, the pilgrimage is also about connecting with other people. ldquo;You get to meet people from other countries, so it becomes a cultural exchange of information and knowledge,rdquo; states Debah. She enjoys the cultural socialization and that is why she has gone on Hajj three times. ldquo;When I was older, it was more emotional. I had already been there three times and was more mature,rdquo; Debah says. She explains that the sheer magnitude of the crowd was not as distracting to her upon the third visit. She was better able to focus inwardly. Debahrsquo;s most recent Hajj was undertaken with her father. She says the opportunity provided them with a chance to connect. ldquo;He took care of me,rdquo; she states. ldquo;I was still an adult, but he gave me guidance. I think thatrsquo;s my favorite memory.rdquo; Katrine J. is a doctoral candidate at Indiana University. She went on Umrah in 2007. Umrah is a pilgrimage that is smaller than Hajj, is not obligatory, has fewer rituals and can be completed any time of the year. According to J., Umrah can be accomplished in either one, two or three days. Umrah is very physical, but the real benefit is spiritual, said J, adding that it was a very emotional experience. ldquo;When I was there, I cried so much,rdquo; J. says, ldquo;I felt that religion is much more serious than what I thought it to be.rdquo; J. explains that before going on Umrah, she did not always take religion or life seriously. ldquo;We just read it. We just go over it,rdquo; she states. J. explains, ldquo;When you experience those things [Umrah activities], itrsquo;s physically exhausting, but at the same time, it shows you that therersquo;s something much more than what we really think. The religious experience becomes more of a real thing.rdquo;