In response to one of my columns entitled "Why the mosque is only for Muslims", a reader wrote: "I was a little disappointed to read your column. There are mosques in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi that welcome visitors for educational tours. These visits helped me in my journey towards Islam, and I would recommend them." I responded that I couldn't agree more. I highly recommend Jumeirah Mosque in Dubai and have given many tours of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, so I know the value of those experiences.
To clarify, I was talking about a curious expatriate who wanted to accompany me to maghrib prayers. I only wanted to point out how impractical it is for Muslims to take their non-Muslim friends into a regular mosque during prayers. I explained to him that when we pray, we are deep in concentration and can't explain every detail of our rituals. Of course, non-Muslims are free to observe what goes on in the mosque from a respectful distance, but they shouldn't enter when people are praying, because it is distracting. This is not true in mosques that are open to the general public, since these places offer guides to explain everything.
I offer my apologies to anyone who misunderstood this and my thanks to the reader who pointed this out.