Year 2 Visit Exeter Mosque

Our trip to the Exeter Mosque and Islamic centre was a very thought- provoking day out.

The Imman showed us around the different prayer halls and we all sat in the main prayer hall to look at the Mihrab, an arch in the Mosque wall that shows the direction of Mecca. He also stood on the Minbar, a raised platform that is used to deliver his sermon, which is the Islamic equivalent of a pulpit. The Imman then explained that no matter where you were in the world, the call to prayer is always sung in Arabic. In this mosque, the call is played inside the mosque only. In towns and cities that have a larger Muslim population, you may hear it playing from the minarets - tall towers near the mosque, like a belltower of a church. The Imman also told us that he had to learn all the verses in the Qur’an, the Islamic Holy Book, but he had also read other Holy books like the bible. He told all the children that a good Muslim is one who accepts other religions and they work closely with the local community. The children had many interesting questions to ask the Imman, ranging from asking about the mosque to the community that used it. It was a very informative day for the children and staff.

Mrs Davison and Miss Coker-Harris