WORDS and PHOTO Beth Doherty

A young Catholic and a young Muslim learn they have a lot in common, including a shared devotion to Mary and a love of beaches.

It’s lunchtime during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when I arrive at Hala Bazzi’s South Sydney home. I’ve already eaten, knowing that my lunch hour will be spent with someone fasting from sunrise to sunset.

Hala smiles as she answers the door. She’s dressed beautifully in a pink hijab and white shirt. Her home is immaculate, with beautiful décor and a light, breezy feel.

I’m here to find out how Mary is viewed among Islamic women, and to see what parallels there are in our faiths. I’m wondering if it will also help me better understand the differences and similarities in our cultures.

For Muslims, Mary is more significant than we realise. Mary is the only woman in the Qu’ran who is mentioned by name (her name is Maryam in Arabic), although other women are mentioned (for example the wives of various Prophets or Kings). She also has a chapter or Sura in the Qu’ran entirely dedicated to her.

‘Maryam is an example of chastity, purity, faith and sincerity’, Hala says. ‘Maryam is a lady who due to her pure spirit, and elevated thoughts was capable of giving birth to a baby, Jesus, whose birth is one of the great events in the history of mankind.’

Hala has prepared lots of different material from the Qu’ran to show how just how important Mary is for them.

‘In the Qu’ran there is a chapter named Maryam which talks about Maryam, her birth, her story, the birth of her son who we call Prophet Isa (Jesus) and other things. Allah (God) also mentions in the Qu’ran the story of her mother’s pregnancy.

‘She has not only been described as a chaste woman, but her name has also been mentioned along with the names of divine messengers.’

Hala explains how Islam is a monotheistic creed whose adherents believe in the Oneness of God. In Islam, Jesus is a servant and messenger of Allah and Mary was his mother. Jesus and Mary are most honoured because of their devotion in their worship of Allah, just like Prophet Muhammad is.

I explain that for Christians too, Mary is blessed, and has been given as a mother to all people by God.

As we continue our conversation, we talk about Hala’s background as a young Muslim woman, and indeed Hala has had quite a typical Aussie upbringing, having grown up in South Sydney with Lebanese parents. She speaks about her faith candidly and in a gentle and open manner. For Hala, Islam is more than just her religion. It is her entire way of life.

I explain that our faith practice includes going to Church, once a week or as frequently as every day.

‘We go to the mosque and pray and  attend lectures’, Hala says. ‘But it’s about how you live your life.’

Hala also hosts young people in her home to talk about matters of faith and lifestyle and enjoys this kind of dialogue.

‘I love spending time with the youth in our community’, she says.

Soon, the inevitable questions come up about the similarities and the differences between how Muslims and Christians present in public. We get into a conversation about the hijab (the head scarf worn by some Muslim women), and how different people respond to it in Australia.

We talk about how Christian, Jewish and Islamic women have all worn some type of head covering throughout the ages.

Hala says for her, wearing the scarf is a commandment from God. ‘I have worn it since I was younger, some wear it later. Not everyone is religious when they are younger. For me, I read up a lot on our faith and I came to truly believe what I read. Also, for example, Mary is always covered in pictures, and nuns wear a veil.’

‘It’s interesting’, I say, ‘because all of the women in the time of Jesus wore a veil. For Christians now, it’s not commonly practised, although there are definitely verses in the Bible which talk about it.’

Feeling that she might be a little tired about going over these issues, I ask Hala if she minds talking about the veil.

‘Actually, I love to talk about it’, she says. ‘You get really weird questions sometimes. At the end of the day, you just respect each other for who we are and our actions.’

Hala says she’s often thought of designing Islamic clothing for women.

‘It would be great if they could have some options, like in summer’, she says. ‘It’s easier in winter … jackets and long coats.’

I tell her that it’s also an issue for Christian women. ‘There’s not much fashion out there that is modest these days’, I say.

We sit down for a few minutes comparing our respective prayer beads. I have brought along a newly-acquired set of rose-scented rosary beads. Hala has a beautiful blue set of prayer beads with the word ‘Allah’ in Arabic is written on each bead.

‘How do you pray with yours?’ asks Hala.

‘We say the Hail Mary … Hail Mary full of grace etc!’ I say.

‘We just worship Allah by thanking, glorifying and praising Him, counting the amount of praises we recite through the number of beads. The more you do the better’, she says.

The more you pray the better sounds like a pretty good philosophy to me. Hala and I then walk down to the beach.

‘It’s a place where I like to go and reflect’, says Hala.

Not surprisingly, I often do the same.

Mary in the Bible:

‘Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear.’
Luke 1: 42-43

Mary in the Qu’ran:

‘And remember her who guarded her chastity: we breathed into her of Our spirit, and we made her and her son a sign for all peoples.’
Chapter 21, verse 91

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