Imagine entering a room with all the furniture arranged differently, or entering a foreign country where everything feels strange and unfamiliar. When Feisal Abdul Rauf first arrived in America from Egypt in the 1960s, he went through this.

Scholar and imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was raised in a society where religion was fundamental to daily existence and communal ideals. However, he was confronted by a society that had a very different perspective on religion than he was used to since arriving in the United States during a time of profound cultural change.

Religion had played a significant role in social movements, including those promoting peace and civil rights, in his native country. But in America, he discovered that, like old furniture that doesn't fit in a modern home, religion was frequently viewed as irrelevant and out of date in academic settings. Feisal found it difficult to reconcile his religious background with the cultural norms he encountered as a result of this striking contrast.

Feisal Abdul Rauf's analysis of this event demonstrates the profound influence of culture on one's outlook and comprehension of religion. It also emphasizes how difficult it is for immigrants to balance their new environment with their heritage, frequently finding themselves torn between two worlds.

Feisal Abdul Rauf has worked to heal these divisions through his writings and teachings, highlighting respect for one another and communication as means of creating a more accepting community where people of different religious backgrounds can live side by side and benefit from one another's perspectives.