This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Many people who consider themselves Muslims — maybe they grew up in an Islamic country, their parents are believers, or they are converts — may still not know the fundamentals of their faith.
So starting Jan. 13, Imam Shuaib Din of the Utah Islamic Center will offer a 12-week course to fill in the gaps of their religious education.
He will teach participants how to pray in Arabic as well as a range of Islamic beliefs and practices.
"We want to help people feel comfortable in the mosque," Din says. "To some people, attending our regular classes feels like being put in a university course without ever going to kindergarten."
In addition to converts, Din said the course will be aimed at "reverts."
"We believe that every person is born with a natural inclination to worship one God, whatever they might call that God," the imam says. "If a person [leaves that belief] and then comes back, they are 'reverting' to their natural state."
The course, to be held at the Sandy center, 225 W. 9000 South, is free and open to the public as well as to Muslims.
Peggy Fletcher Stack