Islam captures my attention the same way other religions do as a force that shapes people’s lives. And Islam, in particular, given the fierce religious undercurrents in today’s contentious East-West relations. In India, interacting with Muslims has unexpectedly been a consistent theme throughout my trip. During a layover in Ahmadabad (Gujarat), I spent the day visiting a half dozen mosques and their surrounding communities and markets. Much of the time, I quite enjoy Muslims and find them to be warm people. But Muslims have proved themselves to be very protective people, too.
Most mosques I’ve attempted to visit in India have refused me entry; for those that don’t, someone is likely to ask me to leave once I’m inside. The sort of hostile treatment I’ve come to expect when visiting mosques would be strictly out of character at any Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, or Sikh holy site. It must be true that outsiders are viewed as a compromising influence on Muslim values. Is it a function of Western ideology and its liberal social customs? Or are all infidels treated equally? Either way, this friction has become a frustrating obstacle in my attempts to discover Islamic culture in India.
