Muslims in Britain

One of the most educational places that I have been so far in London was to the Central Mosque. The Muslim religion is the one of the main three (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) that I know the least about. Since I have grown up in a Christian church and have a good friend who is Jewish, I have been exposed to those religions and know a lot about their traditions and beliefs. In London, however, there is a very large Muslim population, which has made me more aware of their culture.
Something that I was unsure of before visiting the mosque was whether or not Muslims believed in the same God as Christians and Jews. I was intrigued to find out that they do! It surprises me that all three of these religions can worship the same God, yet still have so many conflicts. Muslims even believe in many of the same stories as found in the Torah and Old Testament. Even though London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, because of terrorist activities here, people are sometimes prejudice towards Mulsims. When our guide through the mosque mentioned this occurrence, he brushed it off as though prejudice was something he was accustomed to. This lifestyle of knowing that people may be scared of you but simply not caring was eye opening.
Their custom of going to the mosque five times a day is very different from ours in which we only go to church on Sundays. Also, when they pray, they do it in groups in order to build community, whereas for Christians prayer is more of a private event. The way in which the women are viewed is quite a culture shock as well. The women must cover themselves and be separated from the men during times of prayer in order to give the women more respect, and prevent the men from sexual temptation. This culture is quite a bit different from American culture where women aim to dress provocatively and be viewed as sexy.
Despite the discriminations toward them and the amount of time and dedication required, there are over 2 million practicing Muslims in the UK. Since they take up such a large population of London I am grateful for being able to learn about their culture during my trip to the Mosque.

A Secular Europe

Historically England is seen as a fairly religious state. There is no separation between church and government, which allows prayers to publicly be read and religion to be included in education. In public schools where, in America, one can not hang the Ten Commandments, in England they are actually teaching about God. However it seems that in America we place more value on our religion. We bring God and our faith into every part of our lives. Take elections for example; In America religions views are an important part of a candidate’s campaign, but in Britain the candidates avoid speaking of their faith. What I found most surprising was the statement that most of the English are secular. Sundays are for shopping. The UK even has atheist signs on the sides of buses stating things like “There’s probably no God, now stop worrying about it and live your life”. It is shocking to me that this is the case in a country ruled by the church! This change, which has occurred throughout the 20th century, is the most surprising difference I have observed in Europe.

Differences

I've had a fun past few weeks here in London. I can't believe I've been here for more than a month! So far I've been to several of the tourist attractions here in London and even taken a trip to Paris! Life is quite different from what I'm used to back home, London is huge and culturally different from my small town in Tennessee.

A big difference I have noticed is in grocery prices. I prepared myself to expect most things in London to be quite a bit more expensive than I am used to. I didn't expect, however, for some things to be cheaper! Bread, milk, produce, snacks and cereal are all for the most part cheaper than at home. For example, Mayfields milk (sorry for all you Missouri people who can't experience the wonders of Mayfields) is more than five dollars for a gallon, here two quarts of milk is around a pound fifty. While meats and prepared foods are still more expensive, I am glad to find that we Americans get a break on some prices here in the UK.

Also I have noticed a major difference is the transportation. This might be a bigger deal to me, coming from a small town in TN, than it would to someone who lives in a city, but I've never had to walk so much! At Carson Newman it only takes ten minutes, if that, to walk across campus. I've had to adjust to waking up thirty minutes earlier to account for the walk to class! All of this walking is good for my health, but not for my feet. High heels used to be a large part of my wardrobe, one which I have had to give up for warmer, more comfortable flats.

All in all, adjusting to life in London has been a fun experience. While there are too many differences to mention, change is a good and healthy thing. I'm sure there will be countless more differences to come, and I am looking forward to dealing with those too!