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Spirituality: Under Siege

Contaoi Kirby R.

BSN IV-4

Classics and Great Philosophers

Religion is the belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and

governor of the universe. It is usually synonymous to the meaning of spirituality. Although identical,

those two words still have its diversity. Spirituality is the inner belief of a person that enables him to

discover his true self or being while religion is the established or materialized form of your spirituality. A

person can have its spirituality but does not mean have its religion being the latter a variable. The

documentary from National Geographic called Inside Mecca depicts this phenomenon. This also shows

the journey of three Muslims from three continents. Successful executive from suburban Malaysia, a

religious radio commentator from rural South Africa and an Irish-born college professor from the United

States embarks on a spiritual journey of their lifetime, the sacred Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca known as

Hajj.

One of the five pillars of Islam, the Hajj is required of all who can manage it at least once in a lifetime.

Each year, Muslims from all over the world travel to Mecca to praise and give thanks to Allah, to ask

pardon for their sins and renew their spiritual commitment through an elaborate series of rites and

rituals. As was said muslims from all over the world, so it can come from un unsuspecting place and

family. Fidelma OLeary, A green-eyed blonde, she hardly looks the part of the stereotypical Muslim.

Born in Ireland to a devout Catholic family, O'Leary converted to Islam while in college. Now, she

embarks on hajj having fully embraced the faith, but encounters moments where it seems her fellow

pilgrims have difficulty accepting her as a peer. Fidelma had to face the queries of many others who

wanted to know whether she was a Muslim or not. Her tall figure, covered, as any other Muslim women

at the Hajj, did not convince them that she was indeed a Muslim and that stressed her. She just thinks

logical of the situation that no non-muslim can go there. But to do that, Dr O'Leary, a divorced mother of

two, had to get a certificate from her mosque to say she was a legitimate Muslim, and her son had to

write her a letter giving his permission for her to get a visa for the Hajj. She also added, "I don't know

why anyone would want to go and spend a week with three million sweaty people in the heat of the

desert unless they were really doing this for the love of God." This is a confirmatory statement that she

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is moved to the other side of her spirituality. So she questions herself about what truly is God, If Jesus

was God, how could he worship God? This question made her a devoted muslim.Fidelma commented, showing her deep emotions when she visited the place where Prophet

Muhammad made his last sermon. In that scene, you can see her powerful spirituality.

South African Khalil Mandhlazi is one of three Muslims. In the special, the rural radio commentator says

he has come as a pilgrim to the holy city for "a chance to see an ideal world of Islam in action." Yet

Mandhlazi finds there is some disparity in the way believers with black faces are treated. So Mandhlazi

leaves his country's encampment for the more hospitable tents of the central African nation of Malawi,

where most of the pilgrims are black. Mandhlazi is shaken by the experience. "His vision of brotherhood

seems under siege." Still, by the time Mandhlazi joins millions of other pilgrims on the Plain of Arafat, he

is convinced that Islam's universality is genuine. "We are all one in front of God," he says.

Though the journey seemed troublesome for both Fidelma and Khalil, it was a less challenge for the

Malaysian, Ismail Mahbob. For Ismail, it was a great emotional moment when he sat at Arafat for

prayers and asked Allah to let him play a better role with his life. It all depends how sincere one is when

asking Allah for forgiveness, said an emotional Ismail who cried Only Allah knows what is in my heart.

At times I am alone. he added. He seeks God to make his heart in content and to assure himself that he

is not alone.

Obviously the idea of filming the three Muslims performing the Hajj and of putting one Asian, one

African and one tall fair white lady, who embraced Islam from Christianity, was to show the non-

Muslim world another facet of Islam. It depicts the mental and physical trials the three pilgrims had to

go through from day one of their arrival at the airport in Saudi Arabia. It also explained how patient and

courageous the three were in facing the constraints and limitations in the city of Mecca, due to the flow

of people and for other reasons as well. It just goes to show that no matter race you have been to, you

were born to worship God.