On April 14, World Religions teacher David Fisher decided to break up the rigid monotony of the school day by taking his two Religions classes on a quick, walking field trip to the ISGH River Oaks Islamic Center. 

This trip to the Mosque not only offered the students some fresh air but also gave them the opportunity to further delve into the vast religion that is Islam and interact with some knowledgeable figures within the faith.

“It was impactful in the sense that students got a more genuine sense of Islam from the Imam than they would from me,” Fisher said. “The people there were very receptive to us.”

At the Islamic Center, students got to hear from the Imam, a title generally given to the leader of worship within the Mosque. The Imam spoke to the students of the fundamentals of the faith, listing off the five pillars of Islam and their implementations within daily life.

“It can be hard to conceptualize religion sometimes but going to a place of worship makes it that much more real,” senior Henry Morgan said.

While there, students were also given the opportunity to tour the space, especially the main attraction, the prayer hall. There, the Imam performed the Arabic recitation of the first verse of the Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha. 

“The visit to the prayer room was the most powerful part. You can’t deny the power in the room

 when the Imam performed the prayer, even if you don’t understand the language,” Fisher said.

Morgan echoed a similar sentiment in his appraisal of the tour.

“I really enjoyed seeing the prayer room, I wish we could’ve spent more time there,” Morgan said. “While I didn’t understand the language of the prayer call, I could still see how inspiring it is.”

Islam was one of the larger units taught within Fisher’s class. For Fisher, it is one of more pressing religions in terms of understanding its practices and ideologies from a more in depth, educated perspective.

“It is important to teach Islam because of the misconceptions that are present,” Fisher said. “The majority of what students know from Islam comes from the news, which is rarely positive.” 

From a broader perspective, Fisher thinks studying the world’s religions in general is an important and necessary facet of furthering one’s education.

“Religion shapes the world we live in to a great degree, whether you’re religious or not. You don’t have to be religious to be affected by some of the major faiths in the world on a daily basis,” Fisher said. “So to understand where these faiths are coming from are incredibly important in opening one’s mind and understanding why people from a certain faith see the world a certain way.”