[at-l] OT Islam

[Slyatpct@aol.com (Slyatpct@aol.com)]

In a message dated 9/14/2001 9:57:19 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
kahley7@ptd.net writes:


> I'm ashamed to say I know nothing of Islam.
> There is a community Mosque about 40 miles
> from here and I've heard they are terrified and
> afraid to attend their services today (I think).
> I'm thinking of going to stand with them.  Am I
> right in that today is their Holy Day and that
> noon is the time?  
> 

I'm also very ignorant of the Islam faith and I lived in Afghanistan for nine 
months in the early seventies, during an escape from my parents extremely 
nasty divorce.  What I believe you refer to is Ramadan, a month long fast, 
which I believe starts the end of the month, but I could be mistaken.  I 
think their regular holy day is Saturday, but it was hard to tell as they 
pray 5 times a day and it seemed like the singing from the minarets of the 
Mosque was nearly constant.  I do remember it was extremely relaxing to hear 
the songs reverberate through Kabul, a beautiful but stark, ancient mountain 
city, ringed by a wall to keep out invaders past and present. Made up of some 
the poorest people of earth, the language barrier made it difficult to 
communicate, but I made many friends and was invited into several homes to 
break bread.  It doesn't elude me that it was my first exposure to real trail 
magic.

I just hope people are able to differentiate between the true, proud Afghan 
people I knew, that let meager lives scratched out of the inhospitable 
countryside and the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and "Afghan Arabs"  (I don't 
think there is such a thing).  You do not know how much it saddens me to 
think that any Afghan is involved with what happened Tuesday.

Sly


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