Al-Sharq - A Bridge to Light

The Grand Master receives a presentation from the Worshipful Master of Albert Pike Lodge No. 33.

Amid Kasamani, PM Grand Sword Bearer

Amid Kasamani, PM TO THE PROSPERITY OF ALSHARQ LODGE,” was the final obligatory toast that echoed loudly in the Grand Masonic Hall at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial on the evening of October 8, 2022. A night to remember where Lodge Brethren, the Grand Master, several Grand Lodge Officers, some Past Grand Masters, visiting Brethren, and other interested guests congregated in fellowship at Al-Sharq Lodge’s Inaugural Festive Board.

This festive occasion was delayed due to COVID but finally took place with full excitement over fine dining, lots of wine, celebratory toasts, and great company. The significance of this event lies in its traditional and inaugural nature, but more importantly, it was a celebration of what this young Lodge stands for.

Al-Sharq Lodge No. 2020 was consecrated on December 9, 2019, as a bilingual Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia with the year 2020 as its first Masonic year, hence the Lodge number. The word “Al Sharq” is an Arabic translation for “The East.” The word has dual relevance. Its Masonic reference is obvious, but it also represents a geographic reference to where the Arabic language originates from.

Al-Sharq Lodge is committed first and foremost to promoting the values, principles, inclusiveness, universality, and overall growth of Freemasonry in our grand jurisdiction. Through this vision, the Lodge strives to: 1) promote diversity in DC Freemasonry by making the DC ritual accessible through the Arabic language, and 2) be the exemplar bridge to light from the West to the East! What does that mean? Let’s dive a little deeper into the second point…

It is not known where, how, or when Freemasonry began. There are many theories for the origins of Freemasonry. One theory states that Freemasonry has

roots that go back to the Middle Ages (7th–13th Centuries). During these dark ages of medieval Europe, the golden age of Islam had begun in the East with incredible social, scientific, and technological advances throughout the Muslim world.

Geniuses in Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, and Cordoba took on the scholarly works of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, India, and China, developing innovations that drove what we would call “modern” arts & sciences. New disciplines emerged— algebra, trigonometry, and chemistry as well as major advances in medicine, astronomy, engineering, music, and agriculture—in addition to other inventions that shaped the modern world.

Arabic texts replaced Greek as the founts of wisdom, helping to shape the scientific revolution of the Renaissance. What the medieval scientists of the Muslim world articulated so brilliantly is that math, science, and music are universal, the common language of the human race.

In 1118, nine French chevaliers led by Hughes de Payen went to Jerusalem and took quarters at the Temple Mount, near the Western wall, a sacred site for Jewish prayer, less than half a mile from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, marked by some Christians as the site of Jesus’ tomb, adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, built in the 7th century on top of where the Temple of Solomon once stood. These nights were later known as Les Chevaliers du Temple (Knights Templar). The Templars during that time had a dual mission: war and gnosis. Wars took many forms including protecting the pilgrims, fighting in the crusades, safeguarding Jerusalem, and re-