Today is the opening of this year's Experience Islam Week. I sometime wonder why ISOC here doesn't have this week as same as other university as the Islam Awareness Week (IAW). Anyway, this is a good time to have this event as this term is a busy term for event and activity. Maghrib prayer is the first event of this week.
I wasn't planning to come because prayer is not something to show off and I surely don't like the idea of showing my back (when we prostrate) to the public. Also, King's College only allows no more than 30 persons in the congregation (lawn in Cambridge is untouchable), so better give the chance to the brothers. Plus it is the brothers that need to pray in congregation, women is better pray at home privately. This is not a discrimination or anything inferior. Most of the women (including Muslims) think that saying so is a discrimination to the women. However, from my own point of view, I believe that this is not at all a discrimination but a way to protect and safe guard women. Think about it...
Anyway, during the jumaah today, Shabana said there are only 2 sisters planning to go and more sisters are needed to fill in the 15 spaces allocated for sisters (half for brothers and half for sisters). I said, I'm not comfortable and not sure about the qiblah there. If the qiblah is forcing me to show my back to the public instead of the wall, I'll definitely not praying there.
Just about a few minutes before Maghrib, a group of sisters came to the prayer room and urged some sisters there to go (we were studying in the prayer room). I said, I'll see about it. When it was Maghrib time, I prayed Maghrib in the prayer room then cycled quickly to King's College and jumped into the lawn and pray right to the end of the congregation (near the wall).
Apparently the qiblah is facing the street, so it's good and there are quite a number of sisters too. These are the pictures of the prayer:
Praying in front of the King's Chapel
The prostration - see the back?
I'm at the far left back there - you can't see me
Our backs are facing the wall not the street Wassalam.
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