Exploring Faith at Edinburgh Central Mosque

On the 23rd of February, a group of twelve RMPS students embarked on a four-hour bus journey to Edinburgh. Although half of us were half-asleep due to the 7am departure, we swiftly arrived at around 11am and were keen to get out to explore the city. 

Our first destination was the college of Arts and Humanities at Edinburgh University. We were shown around by a professor and were able to view a small portion of what the University had to offer including the large lecture theatres and lounges. 

We received a lecture from the professor where we were able to ask questions regarding Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. As well as the professor, a University of Edinburgh student also attended who was a practising Muslim and allowed us to have a clearer insight of the practise of Islam. It was an eye-opening experience which left many of us having a larger understanding of the religion as well as its customs.

Upon arrival at the mosque, we were greeted by the friendly Iman who gave us a brief tour of the facilities, including the prayer halls and educational room. We also had the chance to observe the midday prayer, which was a special highlight to many of us as we had never viewed a prayer in practise before. 

During our visit, we participated in a Q&A session with the Iman, who answered questions about Islam and helped to clear any misconceptions we had about the religion. We enhanced our knowledge of the Five Pillars of Islam, which includes the declaration of faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca. We were able to see firsthand how the mosque is a place of community, with people from all walks of life coming together to pray and support each other. 

Modern Studies teacher, Mr Stephen, accompanied the class on the trip. He admitted that his knowledge on Islam had been very limited before the trip. 

“It was very informative. It was nice exploring different cultures and being in a different learning environment. 

I learnt quite a lot, including that all mosques point towards Mecca and I learned more about Arabic culture. I also had an Imam to answer any question I had about Islam so it was very interesting.”

At the end of our trip, we headed to the famous mosque kitchen. With roughly 16 of us squashed into two tables, we were able to pick from a variety of halal dishes. All of us were quick to discover why the mosque kitchen was so highly regarded due to the fine cuisine we were presented with.

A prospective Higher RMPS student, Emily, shared how she felt embarking on the trip.

“I’m feeling great about taking RMPS next year. The trip was so fun as well as interesting. The mosque is beautiful and I enjoyed learning more about Islam, especially since I’ll be learning more about the religion next year.”

A pinnacle of our trip was the emphasis on how there is not a strict version of Islam. Muslims exist all over the world and not every Muslim is the same as they can interpret the Qur'an and its teachings in various ways. This visit was not only an educational experience, but also a cultural one. We learnt that despite the differences in religion and customs, the core values of love, respect, and compassion are universal. 

Mrs Hamilton commented on the trip, putting a heavy emphasis on the joyful experience that we all shared.

“I absolutely loved the trip today. I’ve done that trip before with Aberdeen University and we found it really beneficial so I wanted to share it with this class. I wanted the class to be able to put information we’ve learnt in class into practice and consolidate it with learning outside of the classroom.

I hope to run the trip again, especially as so many current RMPS students enjoyed it.”

From my experience with taking RMPS, I can highly recommend it to any student who is interested in taking it in the future. The knowledge you learn stays with you beyond the classroom, and it gives you the opportunity to learn about cultures that may not be as prevalent within Moray.