After our morning visit to the Chamber of Commerce and lunch at the mall, we went to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It is the largest Mosque in the UAE and 8th largest in the world – it is grand enough to hold 40,000 worshipers!
The mosque is made of white Bianco marble from Italy and the Iranian carpet is the largest carpet in the world. The German gold-plated Swarovski chandelier is also the largest in the world. See the continuing trend of world records even in the Mosque?
The details were most impressive to me. The stained glass, marble flowers on the floor and the intricate wall designs were mesmerizing. The sun was setting and the prayer call was playing. Most of the crowd had dispersed allowing my stroll through the mosque to be one of my most peaceful moments. 
I did feel a little strange being dressed in a full abaya and somewhat like an impostor considering I am so unfamiliar with Islam. However, I wasn’t there to pray but to learn about the religion, see the mosque and better understand the Arab world. I found it a privilege to be able to enter the mosque considering most mosques are closed to non-Muslims. 
When we first entered, the women were directed toward a room to be covered. Lisa and I struggled a bit to dress ourselves and had to ask for help from a Muslim woman! This was my first time wearing an abaya and in the context of the Mosque it felt very appropriate. I can’t say what it would be like wearing it every day in the 120 degree heat or how I would feel if I was pressured to wear it. However, I believe that the UAE has been liberated and that most of the women who are covered, choose to be rather than are forced. I am sure there are exceptions and my one week trip did not provide nearly enough insight to confidently comment on women’s freedoms. I just know that it was NOT at all like most Westerners envision the Middle East. It was calm, peaceful and the people were so gracious and kind.
8 years ago when I traveled to Cuba, I didn’t come back a communist and now, after going to the Middle East, I am not going to return Muslim. Being exposed to new religions, political beliefs and ways of living does not mean I am surrendering my own beliefs but rather it has given me a starting place for an ongoing life-long dialog about culture, people and the world outside of the United States. Yes, I am addicted to traveling but not because I dislike the US but because it has allowed me to relate to others and see differences as a good thing. And, to be honest, all of my travels make me even more grateful for our freedoms here in the U.S. After all, if I had been born in most other regions of the world, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go to college and study abroad.
So, I end on with a few quotes from the Quran that I quite like:
"He deserves paradise who makes his companions laugh"
"A good word is like a good tree whose root is firmly fixed and whose top is in the sky."
"And mankind is naught but a single nation"
"Believers, Jews, Sabaeans or Christians - whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right - shall have nothing to fear or regret"
"O you who believe! Seek assistance through patience and prayer; surely Allah is with the patient. (The Cow 2.153)"
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