[Nakura]

A new mosque has been built next to my house and I was thinking of checking it out, as I would like to know more about Islam. They have a lot of events that are open to the public and so I figured a good starting point would be a public Hadith reading that are doing. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Islam, the Hadith is a journal of deeds and speeches from Muhammad. They also do prayer sessions before and after the reading.

As a relatively ignorant bystander, is there anything that I should know before attending such a session? Should I dress a certain way? Are there any particular customs I should follow? And while I will try to head up there on my day off, I almost always work on weekends (when they are open), so if I did have to leave early due to work, would that be a sign of disrespect? Thanks in advance for the advice and help!

[yuezhi]

Take off your shoes when inside.

That's all I know.

[AdmiralRalwood]

Take off your when inside.

That's all I know.

I think you forgot the in that sentence.

[StarSlayer]

Take off your when inside.

That's all I know.

I think you forgot the in that sentence.

It would have been funnier if you let it be, then we could all substitute our own article of clothing.  Like pants.

[yuezhi]

:/

[karajorma]

Certain parts of the mosque will require you to have washed before entry. As a non-Muslim you might not be permitted entry to those parts anyway though.

[The E]

Simple answer: Ask the Imam.

[Bobboau]

yeah, just ask someone who looks like they know what they are doing, tell them just what you said here and they'll be more than overjoyed to tell you all about their religion and tell you where you can and cannot step.

[Nuke]

dont have sex with someone's wife on one of those prayer rugs. trust me on this one.

[Dragon]

Oh, and turn off your cellphone. That goes for any place of worship, but Islamic prayers are quite long and complex, so having your cellphone ring in the middle of one is probably a good way to earn everyone's ire.
Besides that, ask the Imam, or someone from the community. The Islamic ritual is certainly one of the more complicated ones out there, and it's good to know a few words from Classic Arabic, too.

[Colonol Dekker]

Convert is good. Extremely convert is :asplode:

[T-Man]

Perhaps warped (but I'll admit funny ) jokes aside, as people have said; take off your shoes while inside (they'll probably let you know when anyhow). Also, IIRC you should see a wash basin near or outside the entrance, which you wash your feet and hands with. I've never been inside one myself so I have no idea beyond I'm afraid, but as E recommended I bet the Imam or a local Muslim would enjoy an interested visitor and be able to guide. If I recall this right (and my memory is cack for the record ) one tradition is to avoid using the left hand when gesturing or shaking hands etc (because the idea is the left hand is used during 'sanitary needs', but again I may be mis-remembering there).

But nah, enjoy man; they are beautiful places, and you have my respect for having a look too. Enjoy.

[Colonol Dekker]

Salaam alaykum,

Walaykum salaam.

Greeting, and response.