Thank you, Shakira. Unfortunately, MPV doesn't have a masjid in the area. I did however find a mosque.
This Ramadan evening I was the guest of the Mahdieh Masjid, the only Shei'a mosque in Philadelphia. I have never in my life experienced such grace, hospitality, and kindness. A wonderful woman named Zara sat with me and explained the Imam's sermon, translating some of the Farsi (the Imam was from Iran). After the sermon, they broke their daily fast, and they graciously gave me the first of the food, the sweetest figs I've ever had, and a wrap with cheese, nuts, and cucumbers. The point is they put others in front of themselves, as Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him, would have done. I met with the Imam, and he asked me if I was married. I was accepted, alhamdulillah!
We spoke briefly about family, he told me about his wife, their children, and his grandchildren. After the breaking of the fast, they went upstairs to pray, and I went down to the kitchen with Zara. During Ramadan, mosques provide food to their community. The thought is that they fast to remind them of those who are starving or in poverty and to learn self-control in themselves, and then they feast and enjoy their food, their togetherness, their community. I asked if I could witness the prayer, and Zara directed me to the lobby, where I put on a Hijab to cover my hair in modesty. The prayer was beautiful, mind, body, and soul in unity; everything in unity. After the conclusion of the prayer, we all proceeded downstairs, where the feast was. I did not stay, because it somehow felt wrong to avail myself of their feast when I had not fasted myself. I told them that they were gracious, that I appreciated their hospitality, their generosity, and their inclusion. The point is they speak with their actions, a truth I have never seen. The message was clear, I was accepted and welcomed there, and when I'm done studying Qur'an, and ready to take Shahada, they'd welcome me as a sister in Islam. Me, a sister in Islam?
They treat me better than my own family does. What does that say about Islam?