Red Sun Fun Collage

Due to the smoke wafting down from B.C. our evening sun setting has presented us with some lovely images and more so after faffing around with the images....but I'd rather have no fires!!!!  
          An interesting day where Big R and I decided to go to the Muslin open house at the local "temporary" mosque.  Their origianal mosque had burned down...arson by a mentally ill man known to the community.  I've seen posters in the past to visit one of their open houses so today was the day...and a wonderful bbq too ....tasty samosas and tikka chicken and pita bread and hummus and salad...all yummy.  First we were warmly greeted and then separated by gender...i  listened to a very informative talk by a lovely young woman...while R did the same in another space where the men were.  She reiterated that head coverings were optional and by choice , but preferred for modesty in their religion. Some countrys practices are more based on cultural norms than so much the religious ones she said....like in Saudi Arabia where women aren't allowed to drive...she said that is NOT in the Koran and a political/cultural thing.  And specific to that country only.  One thing I learned that I'd never known or heard before in "standard" history courses was how so many of the African  slaves brought here were educated muslims who were very literate in Arabic....their entire language and religion stripped from them over here and forced to learn English and follow  Christianity.  She said that's one reason so many Blacks here come back to Islam ...that and the influence by Malcom X and Mohammad Ali.  After questions and answers and discussions we had the lovely and yummy bbq.  Later reconnecting with Big R he told me a couple white men had become rather beligerant in their questions and made it rather uncomfortable...(leave it to white males:)).  That didn't happen with us women....anyhow I hope to keep reconnected and be supportive of our Muslim neighbors who said that the east side here in Bellevue is found to be very open and friendly to their community...a good thing to learn and hear.  I do know that over the years of living here since 1975 Bellevue has grown into a much more diverse community culturally than when we first moved here....and particularly in East Bellevue and the Lake Hills area where we settled.  I'm so glad of that and actually watched this happening over the 36 years I drove school bus in Bellevue.
            As-salāmu ʿalaykum  (peace be with you)