SYNAGOGUES and MOSQUES?

Question

Can someone please tell me if there are similarities between synagogues and mosques? I know that in both, men and women pray separately.

What is the atmosphere in a mosque like - for instance do services ever have a humorous slant? Sometimes in synagogue they can do.

Is any part of the mosque service in English?

Are there different types of mosque, the way we have various sorts of synagogue (Reform, Progressive, Conservative etc)?

Many thanks for your time. Hope you are all enjoying/have enjoyed a good Ramadan/Rosh Hashannah!

DA MAN - I am happy you answered my question. I was very saddened to see you saying in another forum that the media was 'controlled by jews' etc etc. It made me feel as though all our positive discussions here are for nothing. I hope very much that you don't say such horrible things about Jews any more and that you can see that we are like you - just people!

EU CITIZEN - I don't know where you live but if you have a synagogue in your area they should be very welcoming to interested visitors. You'll hear Hebrew and in some synagogues there is a 'cantor' or singer; it can be really beautiful. Or if you know any Jewish people you could ask them if you could accompany them. Try for a Reform synagogue, then there's more in English!

EU CITIZEN - ignore Uzi Commander, there was NOTHING wrong with your comments and mazeltov for all the thumbs ups!!!

Answer 1

I've been inside both a synagogue and a mosque for services and Muslims will give better answers than me of course, since I didn't really understand what was going on as I don't speak Arabic--

But what I did see was very, very beautiful. In the mosque there was a women's balcony where we could see the imam and the people on the very ends could see the men praying--next to us there was this beautiful chandelier with a name of Allah written on every glass globe (99 names). As you know we don't write the name of G-d in synagogue but some synagogues (like the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem) have these beautiful stained glass windows with Jewish themes and Hebrew words in beautiful fonts on them, just like the 99 names of Allah on the glass globes--from what I remember of the mosque I went to (don't quote me on this) there was this pretty gold background to the area where the imam stood. The prayers were amazing, it was so moving to see so many people deep in prayer together, able to pray in peace with their neighbors, just like in the synagogue... Instead of seating in a Jewish synagogue, in the mosque there were lines on the carpet to orient people carefully to Mecca--just like we pray to Jerusalem.

And I don't know if this happens every week, but when I was there, the mosque was serving/selling food after the service, just like Shabbat at synagogue :-)

Peace, Ramadan Kareem, and Shana Tovah

Answer 2

Hi Tabatha,
Throughout the history of Islam, the mosque has always played an important social role. It has been a place of prayer , a centre of political and social activities, an educational institution, and the focal point of communal life. In Muslim countries, the mosque serves various functions depending on the political and social environment.
Muslims are expected to be in a state of purity (body, mind, and soul), when he or she visits the mosque.

Mosques in Arabic countries service in Arabic but Mosques in non Arabic countries service in the language of that country. For example, in Canada we have mosques that service in English and French.

Mosques have different shapes but they all have the same service you can find the pictures of some mosques here.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/sacred-sites/mosques.htm

I am not sure if services have humorous slant in mosques because I actually have never gone to a mosque. I can not pray with people around me. This makes me so distracted.
But I know religious Muslims tend to be so serious and they don't like humor so I don't think there is a humor in mosuqes.


Thank you for asking and have a good day.

Peace

Edit: Probably DA MAN knows more than me about what happens inside a mosque because he has been to it so may be there is humor but I don't think there are services in English in Arabic countries.

Answer 3

Never been in a synogogue but have been in a mosque (in India of all places). I work and live in Kuwait and we have a mosque just across the road. Apart from being irksome, being wakened every morning at God knows what time (for their early morning prayers), I do hear the Imam ranting during the Friday midday prayer time. And all I hear is Iraq! America! Britain! Jihad! It's serious ranting and raving - I thought Islam was a peaceful religion?

Answer 4

I'm very curious what goes on inside a synagogue, since i know next nothign about them or what happens in them.

"edit to Uzi Comando" I am quite aware that people pray in a synagogue but as you may have noticed people have a tendency to express their faith differently based upond their relgion duh...What i was saying is that I didn't know what went on in a synagogue because i wasnt sure how jews expressed their faith so ya....nothing anti semitic about my response as you implie just curious.

Answer 5

Well you are a little wrong.Not all shuls are seperate like conservative and liberal conservative shuls.But in mosque i heard from a muslim friend that at certain occasions there are some humorous sermons and there are plays and shows at some mosque like on Ashura.In mosque when they have sermons its done in there countries native langugage,like where they are ,for instance if they are in US they speak english at their seromns.Yes there are sunni,shia,and there are some secular mosque in new york.

Answer 6

As a Jew I have never been in a Mosque and so cannot answer the question but the question was a great one nontheless.

Answer 7

well i havent been a synagogue, but in a masjid (mosque) yes it can be a big humorous at times lol but during prayer, one must stay serious, the atmosphere i'd say is very nice, alot of brotherhood, and yes we do have service in english and arabic

emm yea excuse me? so whenever i try to say the truth, ur saying that i'm than saying "horrible things", did u even watch the video?

Answer 8

I've been to both and I feel better in a mosque. I can't answer your question in details.

Answer 9

The golden phrase you need to know is "Lehavdil", which literally means, "to make a separation"
Think about that.

EDIT: EU citizen, what happens in a synagogue? We pray. LOL. What did you think, we perform ritual blood sacrifices in synagogues or something? omg , heheheh.

Answer 10

i yhink you forgot thay there are also churches and frankly who cares