Akbarut admitted that fasting is not always easy, especially when you are used to having coffee throughout the day, but the time of reflection is worth the time of doing without. He calls the fasting a “spiritual boot camp,” he said.
On Friday night, several long tables were filled with a variety of dishes, some traditional and others typically Californian but before anyone could even sample the main dishes, the members prepared for prayer. At sunset a group of men and women passed around a snack of dates. Then there was an Ithan, a call to prayer by Saleh Kholaki, who in his professional life is a dentist in La Crescenta. All gathered in the courtyard of the community center and prepared for the Turaweh, a series of special prayers said at Ramadan.
The men stand in several rows in front of the women. Despite what has been rumored about the women position behind the men being a show of male superiority, Akbarut explained that it is more a matter of comfort. During the prayer, the members bend over and kneel, touching their heads to the floor.
“Women pray separately because they do not like to bend in front of the men,” Akbarut said.
At every meeting the congregation invites members of other faiths to their meetings in an ongoing attempt to bridge the misunderstanding that has plagued the Islamic faith.
Members of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, St. George’s Episcopal Church and Habitat for Humanity representatives share a meal and common faith goals with the congregation. Akbarut has said that the best way to combat misconception is to reach out to others so they can understand the real Islamic faith, not only what they have seen on television.
