In the name of what?! England has had me jumping from one religious house of worship to the next one. From a mosque in Manchester, then closer to home I experienced a 'Sunday Service' at a local Wolverhampton gurdwara. Additionally, I visited a vihara in Birmingham. Wisdom a plenty, Manchester, Wolverhampton and Birmigham had me listening clearer than clear! Pray!
Aside from a handful of international locations, I had never actually been to a mosque in England! Turkey, Singapore and China had given me equally good opportunities but why had I never been to a mosque in my native, England? Making those moves, I contacted Manchester Central Mosque to see if a visit to their Victoria Park based mosque would be possible? Yes, communication was made swiftly, making those 'City Visitor' moves I added something different to my Manchester weekend. I was guided around the mosque by 'Iman Mueen Akhtar', a mind of information he was about his place of work, community and worship. Prayer-goers made their way before the 'Mihraab' to make their prayers heard. I was allowed to take photos of the members of that mosque who were actively praying that Saturday afternoon. I learned that the 'Iman' would sit on the high placed chair within the 'Mimbar' to proclaim his sermon during the specific prayer times. Yes, Manchester's Central Mosque had me feeling enlightened and aware.
During my visit, I was able to hear the call to prayer at 13:00 in the afternoon. Known as the 'Zuhr' prayer, being one of the five daily pray times such members of the Islamic faith follow. I learned that sometimes modern Muslims would pray in different places and in certain situations families find it more convenient to pray at homes if they are unable to attend their local mosque. Iman Mueen Akhtar confirmed my questions about Islam's commandment to be 'charitable' because I mentioned that against all odds I have always seen the Islamic community practice charity. Mueen also said that during the height of the Coronavirus Pandemic in Manchester, his mosque was used as a vaccination center because he was disturbed by the amount of funerals that were being carried out. Supporting the need for vaccination, Iman Akhtar positively encourage his prayer-goers to get their COVID-19 vaccinations quicktime! My time at the mosque in Manchester opened my eyes to the workings of a city based mosque. Thanks, Mueen!
With a mosque ticked off my English 'prayer list', I had to dig a little deeper to find a gurdwara in the Wolverhampton area. After a brief exchange of emails, Wolverhampton's Ramgarhia Sabha Sikh Gurdwara allowed a visit during November 2021. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's birthday would be the occasion of the day, getting to know the customs at that Sikh Temple really intrigued me to no end. Like the mosque, I took my shoes off at the gurdwara so I followed their customs and respected their space. Part of the community for 47 years, I learned that the Ramgarhia Sabha Sikh Gurdwara had grown gradually over the years, merging several houses together as one, sounding like a community effort indeed. Going into the 'main hall', I was then allowed to see a functioning 'Palki' where the 'Giani' sat busily conducting the special birthday service. Being a part of that special 'Sikh' religious service felt great, it felt great to learn once again. People of all ages were present in the service, confirming the meaning of the day. Hungry?
Captured above was the second helping that I enjoyed at the gurdwara in Wolverhampton. Known as 'Langar', before the tour of the gurdwara I was invited to try some sweet treats, pakoras and a cup of masala chai. Taking a 'Thali' (stainless steel tray) once again, after the birthday prayer service, I enjoyed more home-cooked temple foods. Accepting generous portions of paneer, chick pea curry, rice, a pakora, a chapati and sweet yoghurt side, I was ready to try more delicious foods. It was great to hear that the gurdwara would welcome people from all walks of life to enjoy a tray of food from the 'Langar' no matter what their religious conviction. During the Lockdowns it was amazing to hear that Wolverhampton's Ramgarhia Sabha Sikh Gurdwara opened their kitchen to those who needed a hot meal, caring for those in the community regardless of their religion. My experience at one of Wolverhampton's gurdwaras had me feeling enlightened once again. Religion might not be for me but it was great to learn.
Birmingham held the key to my third and final non-Christian place of worship, one more delight awaited. Buddhism stands as a religion that promotes sound values, encourages humankind to love each other for the good things done. I'll be honest, I don't know much about Buddhism but I understand about mindfulness. Communication was tricky to make with Birmingham's Buddhist Centre but with email confirmation secured, myself and my Mum made the short journey from Bilston to West Bromwich then onto Birmingham via another bus. My Mum and Step-Dad had really connected with Buddhism during their visit to Thailand, since his passing she has found dealing with life challenging but through the teachings of the monks she felt a connection in Thailand. Wanting to help make a breakthrough, to assist with her moving forwards, she was able to speak with one of the monks at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre that December 2021 day. The calmness of the vihara even put my mind at ease, those Thai tickets need to be booked!
Naturally, the monk who spoke to us had a calm and soothing voice, although I got the feeling the Pandemic had halted in-person meditation in the vihara. We kept our visit swift, being from Burma/Myanmar it was nice to know that Birmingham was a home for them to open their vihara. The monk went on to tell us that the teachings of Buddhism were pretty simple to understand, he went on to say that nothing is permanent and that we must embrace the here and now. More or less saying that our state of mind can impact life's path, I believe that there are no mistakes. With life being so busy for some people, it can be a good lesson to revaluate what things are making us stressed. Our visit to the Birmingham Buddhist Centre gave us something to remember, for sure I would like to explore more non-Christian places of worship in the future. From Manchester's Mosque to Wolverhampton's Gurdwara, I concluded my pursuit of enlightenment with Birmingham's Vihara. Like a prayer, England continues to take me there!
Move Over Jesus Christ!
Joseph Harrison
