Western isles (Formerly Outer Hebrides) Mini tour

[Cyril Haearn]

I'd say that English is the main language with Gaelic being used by some of the older and (increasingly) younger people, it seems to be making a bit of a come back. It's hard to be sure though as the people there have always incredibly polite and will use English if a non Gaelic speaker is around. A few years ago I attended a Church service (well worth doing, very different to a service in a typical English Church). I was easily spotted (!) and they preacher announced that as they had a guest in the congregation today's service would be in English! All a little embarrassing and I apologised to him and few others after the service, they wouldn't hear any of it an insisted that it made the service more interesting for them!

The Guardian reports that a mosque is to be built in Stornoway, a handful of Muslim families live there
+1 for diversity & religious tolerance

[bogmyrtle]

I'd say that English is the main language with Gaelic being used by some of the older and (increasingly) younger people, it seems to be making a bit of a come back. It's hard to be sure though as the people there have always incredibly polite and will use English if a non Gaelic speaker is around. A few years ago I attended a Church service (well worth doing, very different to a service in a typical English Church). I was easily spotted (!) and they preacher announced that as they had a guest in the congregation today's service would be in English! All a little embarrassing and I apologised to him and few others after the service, they wouldn't hear any of it an insisted that it made the service more interesting for them!

The Guardian reports that a mosque is to be built in Stornoway, a handful of Muslim families live there
+1 for diversity & religious tolerance

Thats not how the Wee Frees see it


http://www.freechurchcontinuing.org/reports/news/fcc-news/item/mosque-in-stornoway

[johnonhisbike]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IV6P_ ... sp=sharing
This might be of some help/interest. Good luck with your tour, I'm sure you'll love it - in one of the most beautiful parts of our islands.

[durhambiker]

why are people replying to an 8 year old thread???

[Shuggie]

Because it is a lovely place for a mini tour?

[jgurney]

The Guardian reports that a mosque is to be built in Stornoway, a handful of Muslim families live there
+1 for diversity & religious tolerance

Thats not how the Wee Frees see it

http://www.freechurchcontinuing.org/reports/news/fcc-news/item/mosque-in-stornoway

The 'Free Church (Continuing)', the authors of that statement about the mosque, is a small breakaway from the 'Free Church' (who get called the 'Wee Frees'). The 'Free Church' itself does not seem to have objected to the mosque.

Earlier breakaways from the 'Free Church', such as the 'Free Presbyterian Church' sometimes got nicknamed the 'Wee Wee Frees', so I suppose the 'Free Church (Continuing)' might be called the 'Wee Wee Wee Frees'.

[ambodach]

The Free Church are also called the Seceders since the original church is the Free Presbyterian Church and the WeeFrees are backsliders who have a slightly different interpretation of the gospel. You would for all that not be unwelcome at a Free Presbyterian Church service. Probably a great cultural shock for you all the same. There have been Muslims on Lewis for many years and I thought ( obviously wrongly) that they already had a mosque. The convolutions of religious division would take up pages.

[Cyril Haearn]

I think they had use of a building but no dedicated mosque

I think it is really good that people from other cultures and religions spread to the corners of the Kingdom, +dozens (the number of Muslims up there)
Someone said, the level of decency of a society is shown in how it treats/welcomes strangers

[Cyril Haearn]

The mosque in Stornoway just opened in time for Ramadan

Unfortunately (?) Ramadan is in summer this year, seems a bit unhealthy to avoid eating and drinking during the hours of daylight in the Scottish summer*
"Sinful behaviour" is not allowed either, +1

* Must be good reasons for it, mind