Mr. Eide Alawan answers questions about the beliefs of Islam from seminarians and faculty members at the Islamic Center of America, April 13.

Although I didn't know much about Islam before Sunday, I learned a lot in a few hours. About twenty-five seminarians, along with faculty members Sr. Mary Finn, Fr. Mark Hamilton, Fr. Eric Weber, Dr. Ronald Prowse and his wife, Cathy (and two of their friends), visited the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan, on Sunday afternoon, April 13. Mr. Eide Alawan, outreach interfaith director, conducted the tour and was welcoming, hospitable and a wonderful host.

When we arrived at the recently completed mosque, the largest in North America, we had a short question and answer session with Mr. Alawan. The three women were asked to wrap scarves around their heads, which is a custom of modesty for women in Islam.

Mr. Alawan led us to the entrance of the mosque inside the center. We removed our shoes as is the custom for any Muslim or non-Muslim who enters the mosque. It was reassuring to know Pope John Paul II did the same at the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem a few years ago.

Mr. Alawan was a great interpreter. He had much knowledge about Islam and a good understanding of Christianity and the Catholic faith, too. Obviously, our religions differ in many ways. But I was struck at the commonalities the Catholic faith shares with Islam, and I think our similarities are what we need to build on to foster better relations between the two largest religions in the world.

For example, Catholics pray the rosary, roughly five decades or fifty beads. Muslims have the misbaha with ninety-nine prayer beads upon which they pray the ninety-nine titles of Allah (Most Merciful, Most Just, etc.). Both religions believe in a monotheistic God. Muslims revere the Blessed Virgin Mary and have a chapter dedicated to her in their holy book, the Qu'ran (Koran).

Like Catholics, Muslims believe in a testimony of faith, prayer, charity, fasting and making pilgrimages. We learned that Muslims believe in five prophets: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Every time you mention their names, you follow with a salutation, "Peace be upon him," out of respect.

Mr. Alawan pointed out the center's grade school next door, where 365 students are enrolled and Arabic is taught as a second language. We toured the banquet hall that holds twelve hundred people. Many Arabic weddings take place there.

After refreshments and a final Q & A, Mr. Alawan concluded by giving us two DVDs. One was about the history of the mosque, called "New Beginnings: The Story of the Islamic Center of America." The other was called, "Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet," that explains the life of the man who lives in the hearts and minds of Muslims.

I think we can learn from Muslims with respect to their daily commitment of praying five times per day (seminarians, priests and religious pray the Liturgy of the Hours five times per day, too) and their modesty in dress. We should begin to prepare ourselves with knowledge of other religions, since we live in such a globalized world, especially using convenient tools like the Internet. We should dialogue and most importantly pray, so we can we destroy the prejudices that plague our cultures.

By doing this, we will better respect one another and encourage peace between the two religions. To learn more about the Islamic Center of America, including scheduling a tour, log onto https://www.icofa.com.