Islamic Center and Grand Mosque of Washington D.C.

Land of the Free?

America is not a country only protecting the rights of white Christians. The original founding principle of the United States is that this is a land where people, regardless of creed, ethnicity, financial background, or culture, can work hard to improve the lives of not just themselves but mankind as a whole.

It wasn’t long after the ink has already dried on that flimsy piece of parchment that the citizens of the US already began persecuting immigrants and other Americans based off of their background. The idea of “freedom” from the very founding of this nation was hypocritical in the fact that Africans were still enslaved by their American masters. Despite the slave trade, persecution of Irish immigrants, and the genocide of the Native Americans, the United States is still considered a champion of human rights around the world.

With the events of 9/11 and the wars that followed, waves of nationalism swept across the western world. Not only are countries tightening up their borders, but further prejudice against people of the Muslim faith has become rampant upon conservative populations. The influx of refugees seeking shelter from war, famine, and persecution in their own countries are sometimes met with discrimination and abuse by the very people that offered them safety.

You can find a list of the most beautiful mosques in the US here!

Being Muslim in America

For much of the roughly 77 % of white America, the religion of Islam is contained in the far off deserts of the Middle East and South Asia. When living in a community that is made up of, more or less, the same stock of people, it is easy to retreat back into your own bubble and reality which is the creation of your own delusion. The fact of the matter is that over the years America has continued to diversify and bring in many hardworking Muslims to its shores.

Along embassy row near Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. is the capital’s own Islamic Center and Mosque. The flags of all Muslim nations waving along the gate which encloses the front entrance of the mosque is symbolic of the group effort Muslim emissaries took during the 1950s to complete the (at the time) largest mosque in the Western Hemisphere. Tiles from Turkey, a chandelier from Egypt, a carpet from Iran, and donations by countries from all around the world contributed to the completion of the Islamic Center. With a final dedication by no other than Dwight Eisenhower in 1957, the mosque has been a center for worship and education for anyone from students to ambassadors.

You can read more on the Islamic Center here!

Entering D.C.’s Mosque

The caretakers, representatives, and imam at the Islamic Center in DC are very welcoming of visitors of all religions, but due to several incidents in recent years, they do make sure to keep an eye on anyone taking photographs. The media representative for the mosque described several instances where people improperly used images of the cultural center for profit. One being when a photographer got permission to photograph the mosque and later turned around and tried to sell the images to the cultural center and the other when the mosque’s exterior was insensitively used for a beer commercial.

More controversial than mere images inappropriately using the Islamic Center for their own profit, FBI agents have been spying on the mosque for years.  The most high profile of these instances is when an undercover agent befriended the imam in order to become close to him and determine whether on not the center was spreading radical ideologies. Eventually, the agent came clean to the imam and leaked to the news that the United States government has been illegally surveying mosques.

It is thus understandable that the staff of the Islamic Center keeps an eye on anyone pulling out a camera on the grounds of the mosque. Those wishing to report on the center should go through the necessary channels to gain permission prior to shooting around the masjid. This is not to say that the Islamic Center of Washington doesn’t welcome visitors. The public relations officer of the mosque is constantly busy providing tours for local schools, debunking many of the preconceived misconceptions of Islam. All in all, the Islamic Center welcomes guests and any questions the community may have.

You can read more about the FBI’s spying here!

Meet the Neighbors

Continuing down Massachusetts Avenue, you will pass many places of worship belong to practically any faith you can think of. From Protestant to Orthodox and from Temples to Churches. With all the different countries represented on embassy row, it is obvious that each individual nation would need a place to pray which fits in with their own religion back home, no matter how niche it may be. That is why you can find slews of churches each occupying their own distinct sliver of what makes up Christianity.

At the top of the hill, past the Greek Orthodox Church and Jewish Synagogue, stands the focal point of the whole neighborhood, the National Cathedral.  The cornerstone of this Cathedral was laid down in 1907 by then-president Theodore Roosevelt, it wasn’t until 1990 (83 years later) that the church was finally completed in the presence of President George H. Bush.

The National Cathedral Charges an entrance fee of 10 USD for adults 6 USD for children

Attention to Detail

Even with competition in Italy and Spain, Washington D.C.’s own National Cathedral can keep up with many of the masters of architecture. One can easily spend hours exploring the halls of the church, constantly finding new easter eggs and references to things as reverent as Martin Luther King and absurd as Star Wars.

The cathedral has also not been immune to the changing in attitudes towards portraying Confederate leaders in public places. At one time, rebel generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were immortalized in the stained glass windows of the National Cathedral. An attack on a predominantly black church in Charleston, South Carolina leaving scores dead. This act of terrorism done by a white supremacist sent tremors through the very fabric of the United States. Thousands banded together calling for the removal of racist monuments in the form of Confederate statues, and in the National Cathedral’s case, the stained glass windows.

You can get the official statement of the National Cathedral on the windows here!

All Are Welcome

Visiting both the Islamic Center and National Cathedral in one day is sure to give you a glimpse of the American Dream in action. Many of those who maintain the mosque are immigrants, bringing fresh ideas for businesses and technology to the United States. The National Cathedral also brings in its fair share of believers from across the globe, outside of mass, however, most foreign nationals are nothing but tourists.

Every hour in the great halls of the church, a visiting pastor or priest’s voice will calmy reverberate through the cathedral, praying for peace. Despite what may be constantly reported on in the news and shouted out by angry individuals on street corners, the unity of people through peace will always overshadow those calling for purging. No matter if it is in a mosque or a cathedral, in America, you will always be welcome.