Participant observation of Islamic prayer rituals and social cohesion

Participant Observation

The ritual activity that I have experienced is a visit to a mosque for prayer. This experience entailed going with a Muslim person who could ensure that I did not violate any of the codes of conduct during my visit. Other than that guidance, I was left to observe the activities. The entire process is ritualized. There are ritual ablutions before the prayer, and then the prayer itself is ritualized. Beyond that, there is a ritual element to the socialization that occurs before and after prayer as well. People see their friends and discuss the matters of the day. Even Muslim speech is guided by ritual, for example if somebody refers to the Prophet they always follow it with "peace be upon him" and many proclamations are suffixed with "inshallah" or "God willing." This high level of ritualistic behavior in turn helps to define Muslim culture.

Grazian

Grazian notes that there are four elements to comprise popular culture. These are the aesthetic, explicitly political, new media and ritual analysis. The basic function of this ritual is to reinforce the societal norms. The prayer itself might serve a higher purpose, but the collective ritualization of the prayer process serves to define who is in the society and who is an outsider. The socialization process that occurs before and after prayer highlights the "us vs. them" aspect because interaction with one's fellow Muslims is expected, and this interaction reinforces one's in-group status. The communication that occurs as part of these rituals also allows for the sharing of views that are part of the collective mindset.

This view fits with Durkheim's understanding of religion as a set of rituals that govern society. For example, prayer times are set out in advance -- not just by the local mosque but by a central authority in Mecca, and from there the prayer schedules are disseminated around the world. The prayer times define the schedule of life in Muslim communities, since the pious are expected to pray. The prayer times define when one is awake and when one eats, for example, with wake-up in time for dawn prayer and eating conducted after the dusk prayer. These prayer times fit with the natural rhythm of life in the Middle East, but even if these times are less convenient for Muslims in the West it does not matter because now they are part of the culture.

Likewise, the Muslim emphasis on cleanliness rituals reflects the societal needs of the Middle Ages, given the importance of cleanliness to staying alive, but the norms have entered Muslim society permanently through their ritual reinforcement as part of prayer. Ablutions are conducted before every prayer. Mosques are also built in areas where there is access to fresh water, and are one of the primary places for Muslims to clean themselves.

The gender segregation of Muslim society is also enforced at the mosque as well, another example of how the religious rules serve as a framework for society's rules in general. When Islam is compared with other Abrahamic religions, all those with gender segregation in prayer have a higher degree of gender segregation in society overall. Those that have prayer with both genders have become over time societies where women play a greater role. Non-religious societies have the least segregation, again supporting Durkheim's view about the structural role that religion plays in society. Being a Muslim is an overriding cultural feature that cuts across a large number of races and nationalities, but many have the same common traits of gender segregation, emphasis on cleanliness and the same schedule of life.

Conclusion

An understanding of Durkheim suggests that religion's power over society is precisely the reason why it governs the way the society operates. The ritual that I observed was in general very strong, with many minor rituals as part of the process. Most of these remain unchanged from their ancient roots. The communication before and after prayer, with electronic devices now implicated, represents a reversal where modern life is beginning to alter the ritual. This has significant implications for a society that increasingly faces conflicts between religiosity and secularism. In other areas of Judeo-Christian tradition, the same conflicts exist between the modern world and the old traditions. While there is acceptance in most cases that different forms of communication are still at their heart just communication, it will be interesting to see how this trend evolves in the future.