MOSQUES
Muslims worship in a building called a Mosque. (An alternative word is Masjid.)
Outside every mosque, or just inside the entrance, is a place where worshippers can remove and leave their shoes, and a place where they can carry out the ritual washing required before prayer.
There are no pictures or statues because Muslims think these are blasphemous, since there can be no image of Allah, who is wholly spirit.
Women
Women can attend the mosque, and when they do they sit separately from the men.
Facing Mecca
A niche in one of the walls, called a mihrab, shows the direction that the worshippers should face in order to face Mecca.
The Minaret
The minaret is a tall thin tower. A muezzin stands at the top of the tower and calls Muslims to prayer at the five ritual times of the day.
Prayer
Ritual prayer, five times a day, is the essence of Muslim worship, whether done in the mosque of anywhere else.
Before the Friday prayer, the mosque's imam will give a talk on a relevant subject, based on a Qur'anic text or a story about the Prophet (pbuh).
An imam is not a priest, but a learned and pious Muslim who is held in high respect by his community.
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