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The mosque was the neighbourhood house of worship, but it was also the place where my high school friends and I came to study.

I grew up as a Muslim. I went to an Islamic elementary school. Most of my community was Muslim, so I grew up praying five times a day.

My dad was a Muslim and would pray five times a day. I would pray with him as much as I could, in the morning before school. Sometimes he would tell us moralistic tales about genies, magic carpets and wondrous lands. My mother is not religious - she's just English.

Egypt has a devout population. People go out, they pray, they fast.

We observe that in the scriptures, fasting almost always is linked with prayer. Without prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it's simply going hungry.

Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful.

The only times I'm consistent about praying are when I'm on an airplane or when an ambulance goes by.

My dad was a very straight arrow, prayed-at-every-meal kind of guy.

My mother was a modern woman with a limited interest in religion. When the sun set and the fast of the Day of Atonement ended, she shot from the synagogue like a rocket to dance the Charleston.

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.