I know this blog is being posted REALLY late, but I still want it to be up there.

Since coming to BYU, and being surrounded by such a religious influence, I have reflected on my religious beliefs a lot. In light of these experiences, I decided to do an interesting FHE activity, something I knew no one in my FHE group had done before; talk about Islam.

Ramadan, the month of fasting had just come to an end, and it was Eid, the most important day on the Islamic calender. It just felt like the perfect time to do something like this.

So I started preparing for a talk, or presentation. I couldn’t quite tell what it should be. Ideas kept swirling through my head. There was just so much I wanted to tell, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to. I looked up my sources and compiled what seemed to me the perfect set of facts to outline a religion of over a billion people on this planet.

The activity started with some slightly awkward glances as everyone (except for my roommates) had no idea where this discussion was heading. I don’t blame ’em. Coming to attend a completely Mormon activity, this was definitely least expected. To make everyone comfortable, I told everyone that I was not a member (which wasn’t a surprise), and explained my reasons for coming to BYU. I told them why I felt the need to do this, and they seemed quite interested in whatever I had to say. I outlined Islamic belief, history, traditions, practices while my roommate compared every aspect to Mormonism. It was incredible how similar many beliefs were. Questions like, “Do Muslims use technology?” “Have you ever been to Mecca?” “Do you have to marry a Muslim girl?” kept coming and I answered them one by one. The activity definitely went over an hour.

I enjoyed that activity alot. I got to learn so much more about my own religion, like I believed in John The Baptist but I always knew his with his Hebrew name “Yahya.” I hope I get the opportunity to enjoy more Family Home Evenings throughout my time at BYU.