Is gender-mixed salat in the Mosque forbidden in The Quran?
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The obvious contradiction is with the Tradiitonal Pilgrimage, in which intermingling is allowed in the so-called Masjid Al Haram Mosque. Why the double standard? When surely, concentration for this event should be at its utmost.
Salaam Wakes,
you said it brother. Why the double standard? In AL MASJID AL HARAAM women are not to cover their faces either. The tangable CENTER of unity in Islam has its own rules in complete isolation from the rest of the Muslim community. Just travel a few hundred miles north to the city of Medina, the story is 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Women are not allowed to enter the prophet's mosque but after the middle prayer and allowed only in a specified section of the mosque! How weird!
Peace,
Khalil -
In addition
2187 Lawful for you in the night of the abstinence/fast is sexual approach to your women, they are a garment for you and you are a garment for them. God knows that you used to betray/deceive yourselves so He turned towards you and He forgave you; so now approach them and seek what God has decreed/written for you. And you may eat and drink until becomes distinct the white thread, from the black thread, of dawn. Then you shall complete the abstinence/fast until the night, and do not approach them while you are devoting/staying in the masajid. These are God's boundaries, so do not transgress them. It is thus that God makes His revelations clear to the people that they may be righteous.
This clearly implies wives could theoretically be approached by husbands in the masajid! Interestingly, IF one takes masajid=mosques then if women were not allowed in them, it would make this statement odd/redundant, thus implying women are present in the mosques.
IF masajids=mosques, why even mention mosques, when there is much greater chance of sexual temptation in the homes? The traditional commentators have an explanation for this Jalalayn says this is referring to 'itikaf' (spiritual retreat in the mosque) when believers would leave the mosque for sex then return. A complete insertion of course, and hardly "clear" as it implies at the end of the verse, and the obvious error as it says "...you are devoting/staying IN the masajid" not when one leaves them. -
Good point, Wakas.
I find it interesting in this context that the prophet's mosque was basically connected to his private dwellings. If we believe historic accounts it even opened to his bedroom. I find it hard to imagine that women would constantly be in such close proximity to the mosque but not allowed to be in it.
That dude on FB who claimed that trading and mosques are simply "men's things" had no real basis for his argument apart from his own preconceptions imho.
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Denying women access to the ?Main Space? -
A Betrayal of the Prophet (pbuh)Presented to the Jamaat Khanna Committee of the University of the Witwatersrand - 1995. Shamima was a 'community member' of the committee which was negotiating with the university administration for a new Mosque complex and participating in decisions regarding the design of the complex. She argued for women to be accommodated in the 'main space' of the mosque
An ?Ignorance? that's frightening
I was prompted to put together these few thoughts after a meeting with a group of architects (who are also popular mosque designers in South Africa) and students who presented their proposals for the WITS mosque. The architects expressed their certainty as to where a woman may be located in a mosque, saying that any other accommodation was bid'ah (innovation). A young student presenting his design said women and men reading alongside was unacceptable; they had to be completely separated (he said that women should be accommodated in a gallery). His other assumption was that men at WITS could not control their libidos.
It was their certainty that their beliefs and perspectives were actually the Prophetic tradition and that anything else was bid'ah, that I found frightening. I was in no doubt about the sincerity and love these men have for the Prophet (pbuh). It is because of this and my own love for Islam and the Prophet (pbuh) that I feel the need to inform them about what I've come to learn about women and the space they occupied in the Prophet's mosque.
Women's Space in the Prophet's Mosque
Women occupied the back rows of the Prophet's mosque; where they could be seen and heard by the rest of the congregation. (Remember that the Prophet's mosque was fairly small.)
Ibn Abaas (ra) said "Once the Prophet came out (for the 'Id prayers) as if I were just observing him waving to the people to sit down. He then, accompanied by Bilal, came crossing the rows till he reached the women. He recited verse 12 of chapter 60 to them and asked 'O ladies, are you fulfilling your covenant?' None except one woman said 'Yes'. The Prophet then said 'Then give sadaqah.' Bilal (ra) then spread his garment and said 'Keep on giving alms'.
Access to the Imam
Direct contact between the Prophet, as the imam who led the prayers, and those who attended the prayers seems to have been an important element in the Friday khutba
". . . On Friday he (the Prophet) preached the khutba leaning on a staff. . .. And the people were in front of him, their faces raised toward him, they listened as they watched him. . . ."?
The idea that the mosque is a privileged place, the collective space where the leader debates with all the members of the community before making decisions, is the key idea of Islam which today is presented to us as the bastion of despotism. Everything passed through the mosque which became the school for teaching new converts how to do the ritual prayer, the principles of lslam, how to behave towards others in places of worship and elsewhere. Was it fitting to come armed or not? Could one do buying and selling there (the Prophet and his Makkan supporters were originally merchants)? Could one keep prisoners of war in the mosque courtyard (to keep better watch on them) or not??
The mosque was a space where dialogue between the leader and the people could take place. The apparently simple decision to install a mimbar in the mosque was treated by the Prophet as a matter that concerned all Muslims
The Prophet used to say the Friday prayers standing, leaning against a palm trunk. One day he announced that standing made him tired. Tamim al-Dari answered 'Why not build a pulpit like I have seen in Syria?' The Prophet asked their advice on the question, and they agreed to the suggestion.
A Madinah carpenter cut a tree and built a pulpit with a seat and two steps up to it.
Other versions say that the Prophet was urged to take his place on the mimbar at the time of prayer so that he could be seen by everybody, because in a few months the number of Muslims had grown considerably, and this seemed a more plausible reason than fatigue. The Prophet was only 54 years old at the time of the Hijra and was in the prime of life.
From access to denial of access
In the Kitab al-Jum'a (Book of Friday) of Imam Bhukhari (d. 256H),(5) who wrote two centuries after the death of the Prophet (pbuh), he quotes the hadith
"Do not forbid the mosques of Allah to the women of Allah."
A half-century later (300H), Imam Nasa'i, wrote his al-Sunan. In his chapter on al-masjid, he gives specifications for the rows between men and women how crowded they may be and how far from each other.
He states that a man has no right to forbid his wife to go to the mosque. He quotes the Prophet
"When a woman asks authorisation from one of you to go to the mosque, let him grant it to her."
Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597H), wrote a book on the laws that govern women in Islam and devoted his chapter 24 to 'Women's Friday Service'. He had to acknowledge that they had a right to the service since the hadith on the subject was incontrovertible. However he raises four issues
On the question of rows he said 'the prayers of men who are seated behind women are worthless.' It often happened that men came to the mosque late and were blocked by the rows of women. It is very easy to imagine the fatal next step ban women from the mosque, since the mere presence of women risked creating a problem.
Ibn al-Jawzi than asks a question which in itself contains a betrayal of the ancient texts 'Is it permitted for women to go to the mosque?' And his answer 'If she fears disturbing men's minds, it is better for her to pray at home.'
He cites Bukhari's key hadith in which the Prophet stresses that the mosques of Allah are not forbidden to women. He concludes by saying that 'the Friday service is not a duty for women'. And, 'A woman should try to avoid going out as much as she can.'
But it is in reading modern authors like Muhammad Sadiq al-Qannuji, the twentieth-century Indian scholar (d. 1308H), that one notes the institutionalisation of the exclusion of women from such a crucial place as a mosque. In his chapter on "What has been said on the fact that the Friday sermon is not a duty for women", he brings out a dubious hadith which says "The Friday service is a duty for all Muslims, with four exceptions slaves, women, children, and the ill."
We are certainly a long way from the Prophet's mosque, open to all, welcoming all those interested in Islam, including women. The mosque now suffers a betrayal of Muhammad's (pbuh) ideal community women are declared strangers to the place of worship. Women, who had the privilege of access to the mosque as sahabiyyaat, companions of the Prophet, very quickly became polluting, evil beings.
Sexual men and invisible women
The premise that women 'distract' men from their spiritual endeavours and that they stimulate sexual urges rests on a certain understanding of what it means to be human, and a certain understanding of what constitutes maleness and femaleness.
This argument operates from the premise that our focus of control, and our focus of self as human beings, as Muslims, is outside ourselves, and that men have weak inner centres since, upon seeing and listening to women, they are overcome by irresistible uncontrollable sexual urges. By such reasoning we imply that man are incapable of taking moral responsibility for their behaviour and relations.
The solution is to manipulate the external environment - women must be invisible - to keep men's responses in check. This raises important questions What does this say about man's capacity to take full responsibility for his spirituality? On what understanding of humanity are these arguments based?
In order that we believing men and believing women, God-conscious men and God-conscious women, can reclaim our full humanity, reclaim our Islam, we need to revolutionise our categories of maleness and femaleness. We must reject the idea of uncontrollable male sexuality and evil women.
Allah says in the Qur'an
"The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His apostle. On them will Allah pour His mercy for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise."
Therapy for male 'sexuality'
For those men and women who view each other only as sexual beings, the mosque precinct - a holy precinct - can be therapeutic. On seeing women in the holy precinct, the depraved soul has to recognise that women are not just sexy beings but spiritual beings, members of the ummah, their sisters in faith. If women are invisible in this holy precinct his perception of women as just sexy beings will not be challenged and he will never be able to reclaim his full humanity, his Islam.
May Allah guide us and help us respect each other
Source
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Sure Mix gender Salaat should happen, as it happens in churches, later on Marriages may also be carried on in Masjid and the bride and bridegroom may interlock lips in front of all, that is freedom, come on wake up Muslims you are so backward, there should be dance parties held in Masajids in future as are in churches, so we can prove to the world we are no fundamentalists.. What Muhammad did was not according to Quran..we should have a women Imam, and during her menustaration time she may take a vacation, wait she does not need, we have new translation of Quran, we are progressive Muslims now,,she can continue, but when she is pregnant? we will find a solution for that soon don't worry..In any case we should protray to the world we give women equal rights, not only equal but instead we want female domination..
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Sure Mix gender Salaat should happen, as it happens in churches, later on Marriages may also be carried on in Masjid and the bride and bridegroom may interlock lips in front of all, that is freedom, come on wake up Muslims you are so backward, there should be dance parties held in Masajids in future as are in churches, so we can prove to the world we are no fundamentalists.. What Muhammad did was not according to Quran..we should have a women Imam, and during her menustaration time she may take a vacation, wait she does not need, we have new translation of Quran, we are progressive Muslims now,,she can continue, but when she is pregnant? we will find a solution for that soon don't worry..In any case we should protray to the world we give women equal rights, not only equal but instead we want female domination..
The topic is not that ?Is gender-mixed salat in the Mosque forbidden in Pakistan?"
It is ?Is gender-mixed salat in the Mosque forbidden in The Quran?"
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Rasul Hamsa
The topic is not that ?Is gender-mixed salat in the Mosque forbidden in Pakistan?"
It is ?Is gender-mixed salat in the Mosque forbidden in The Quran?"
Oh is that so...
What dress will they wear in Masajid the women, because according to you and Leyana as it fits them, it is freedom.. this will lead us to where i pointed out in my early post.It is ?Is gender-mixed salat in the Mosque forbidden in The Quran
that is a lame logic, used by Quran aloners often, show me where it is in Quran? You have started a new custom, you have to provide evidence for it from Quran? Show me verse Exclusively allowing mix gender prayers in Masaajids? simple I will have no objection, infact no one would have after that.
I have studied in co-education schools and my teachers was mostly a female, teaching mix gender, therefore lady Imam is not a taboo for me as you are trying to paint, but I cannot forget the remarks of my different class mates when we are senior high school about the female teachers, we talked about their dressings their body parts and even enjoyed their thoughts in bed at night.
I still remeber that Mauzana in Amina Waduds prayer, wearing high heel shoes, with a tight fitted upper, and without a "Dopata", I confess it would have been very hard for me to concenterate on any thing else.
Now come on don't just start attacking me with all those booos and baaas, it is just natrual and if some one disagrees either she is woman or too old. -
that is a lame logic, used by Quran aloners often, show me where it is in Quran? You have started a new custom, you have to provide evidence for it from Quran? Show me verse Exclusively allowing mix gender prayers in Masaajids? simple I will have no objection, infact no one would have after that.
like your stopping of women in mosque is based on quranic verse! rotfl
so the burden of proof is on whom?
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I have studied in co-education schools and my teachers was mostly a female, teaching mix gender, therefore lady Imam is not a taboo for me as you are trying to paint, but I cannot forget the remarks of my different class mates when we are senior high school about the female teachers, we talked about their dressings their body parts and even enjoyed their thoughts in bed at night.
here in England we had two female teachers and I never heard anyone talking about them, as people do in pakistan, even if that was a class of 50 students. And majority were young men!
I highly appriciate all female teachers in pakistan who teach adult students! My sister also teaches Law students in university! I have great respect for all those ladies!
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like your stopping of women in mosque is based on quranic verse!
so the burden of proof is on whom?
rotflBrother you laugh a lot, it is good for health, but there should be a reason for it, i guess. rotfl
Wher did i stopped women to go to mosque based on any verse rotfl i cant see any rotfl i will be gratefull if you point out rotfl -
rotfl
Brother you laugh a lot, it is good for health, but there should be a reason for it, i guess. rotfl
Wher did i stopped women to go to mosque based on any verse rotfl i cant see any rotfli will be gratefull if you point out rotflso you believe in mixed prayers? ???
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IT'S TIME TO END GENDER SEGREGATION IN MOSQUES
This is going to be controversial.
I already know what many of you are thinking. ?This is haram/biddah/un-Islamic,? or ?you?re trying to westernize Islam!? or perhaps my favorite, ?This an example of people following their own desires over what God wants or commands.? Some go as far to call Muslim feminism an ?oxymoron,? or ?extremely stupid,? and some even say it?s a ?perversion? of Islam. I?ve heard it all before, so if you don?t have anything new to contribute in what I hope will be a civil/mature discussion about gender relations in Islam, please don?t bother commenting.
We all know what the stereotypes say about Islam and women. ?Islam oppresses/enslaves/subjugates women!? cries the Islamophobe, and in response, all Muslims ? female and male ? get rightfully offended. We get offended because we know our faith and our history. We know how the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, abolished sexist and misogynist practices, such as female infanticide, in order to promote women?s rights and gender equality. We know how the Prophet?s wife, Khadijah, peace be upon her, was an independent business woman who initiated a marriage proposal to Muhammad. We know that the Qur?an, unlike the Torah, does not blame Eve for the first sin, but rather makes it clear that Adam and Eve were both in the wrong and then pardoned. And while many of us dispute over how a woman is supposed to express the Islamic teachings of modesty, it is agreed upon that the Qur?an mandates women and men to be modest, respectful, and humble to each other.
We look around our community and know that the overwhelming majority of Muslim women choose whether or not they want to wear the hijaab (headscarf). We read our history books and learn about empowered Muslim women over the centuries such as the Prophet?s daughter, Fatima, peace be upon her, Rabia Al-Adawiyyah, Zeb-un-Nisa, and Razia Sultana. In modern times, we have seen female prime ministers of Muslim nations like Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Muslim women are athletes, journalists, authors, politicians, actresses, filmmakers, photographers, activists, bloggers, students, and teachers, among so many other things. With all of this in mind, it sounds like the Muslim community enjoys gender equality. Unfortunately, when we look closer, especially at our Mosques, we see a very contrasting picture.
Muslim Women in Mosques and Male Privilege
In the majority of Mosques, women are isolated in a separate room that is often smaller than the men?s section. In some Mosques, men and women are separated by a wall or barrier, while in others, women pray behind a curtain. I?ve been to some Mosques where a balcony is built specifically for women, which makes it easy for men to forget that women are in attendance and easy for women to feel like they have no participation in the Mosque. Some Mosques, mostly in Muslim majority countries (but in the West as well) may not even have enough space for women. Their argument is that women, unlike men, are not obligated to pray in Mosques. Women, according to them, can pray at home and take care of their ?womanly duties.?
Depending on how big or wealthy the Mosque is, some Muslim women may be lucky enough to get a sound system and a television in their rooms so that they can hear and see the imam deliver his khutbah (sermon) during Friday prayers. Sadly, as most Muslim women know, Mosques are infamously known for their poor sound quality and malfunctioning televisions. But it?s more than just about bad sound or vision. An article from ?Islam for Today,? describes the discriminatory setting that Muslim women experience in Mosques
?mong those mosques that do let women in, I?m sorry to say that most of the ones I have seen relegate the women to an inferior status. They banish them to basement rooms or other segregated spaces. Too often the second-class spaces allotted to the women are poorly maintained, uncomfortable, cramped, filthy, or otherwise substandard, while the men reserve the best areas for their exclusive use. This kind of treatment makes the preaching about women?s status being equal in Islam sound awfully hollow. Too many places don?t allow women any chance to speak and be heard, let alone have any say in the way the mosque is run.
Muslim women never give sermons or lead prayers, unless it?s front of an all-female congregation and the men can?t hear/see them. While men are limited to speaking to men only, they have better access to the imam and can make announcements to promote events after the Friday prayer. If a Muslim woman wants to announce an upcoming event, she must do so through a man. In other words, she cannot even announce something in her own words or voice. On important Islamic events and holidays, a Muslim woman?s spiritual experience is significantly affected by the gender segregation. Krista Riley, a Muslim feminist and contributing writer of Muslimah Media Watch, shares her experience
On the 27th night of Ramadan ? the night most widely believed to be Laylat-ul-Qadr, the Night of Power ? I went to the mosque for tarawih prayers, in which they would be completing the recitation of the Qur?an that they had been doing all month. This experience, of praying together on this special night as the Qur?an is completed, is a beautiful and powerful one. At least, so I am told.
What happened in reality is that the women?s section, far too small to fit all of the women who had come that evening, was crowded and uncomfortable. I ended up having to pray close to the elevator, on the marble floor, because that was the only place left when I got there; I had people walking around and in front of me all evening. On top of that, it was NOISY. Several families had brought their small children, who were all sent up to the women?s section (where the ?children?s area? was, although few children stayed inside it), and who were yelling, crying, and even running around at various points throughout the prayer. While I could hear the emotion in the Imam?s voice as he recited, I could barely focus on his words, because of all of the noise and activity around me. When the prayer was over, I could not get out of that mosque fast enough. It was, without a doubt, the most stressful prayer experience I have ever had. Far from being inspired, I was annoyed, agitated, and more than a little bitter.
Krista added that she later spoke with a male friend who had no idea about the chaos she experienced. This reveals the male privilege that too many Muslim men are utterly oblivious to. As Krista explains ?Completely disconnected from the women?s space, the Imam and his male followers had the luxury of truly focusing on the beautiful words whose revelation had begun that same month, so many centuries before.?
Muslim male privilege is a reality that cannot be denied, but it often seems difficult for many Muslim men to understand. Muslim men do not have to worry about having enough space in the Mosque nor do they have to worry about easy accessibility to the imam or shaykh. Although women have religious and Qur?anic classes, they cannot have the same aspirations as men, such as becoming an imam or shaykh. As a result of male-dominated spiritual leadership, men can abuse their power and preach sexist interpretations of Islam in order to control women. Muslim men also have better chances of establishing positions on the administrative board and do not have to worry about being discriminated against because of their gender.
Prior to reading Muslim feminist literature, I was virtually unaware of the sexism that took place within our community, which exposes my own male privilege. Some Muslims do not consider it sexism, however, and they often present theological arguments to justify segregation. For example, a study called ?Mosques, Collective Identity and Gender Differences Among Arab American Muslims,? by Amaney Jamal, reports that female Mosque attendance is considerably lower than male attendance, but the opposite argument would be that women are not obligated to attend Mosques as men are. To justify the partition, the argument is that segregation is about modesty and respecting the opposite sex. Some Muslims believe it is impermissible for a woman to lead men and women in prayer or give a khutbah because their voices and physical appearances can be ?distracting.? While I strongly value the teachings of modesty in Islam, I argue that the manner in which most Mosques practice segregation actually sexualizes gender relationships in ways that many don?t realize.
The Case Against Partition
There is a lot of evidence from the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet) that barriers did not exist during the time of the Prophet. Interesting enough, a Hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas, the paternal cousin of Muhammad, reported that a woman used to pray directly behind the Prophet while he led prayer. Muslim feminist and filmmaker, Zarqa Nawaz, points out in her documentary film, ?Me and the Mosque,? that women used to speak up at Mosques and even refute the speaker if they had to. For example, after the Prophet?s death, a woman challenged the Caliph, ?Umar bin Khattab, by citing the Qur?an after he tried to reduce the mahr, a monetary gift a man gives to a woman before marriage. It was ?Umar who was ultimately responsible for relegating women to separate rooms.
As I mentioned, separating the sexes on the basis that women and men are physical (read sexual) distractions to one another sexualizes gender relationships (it?s really presented as women being distractions to men). Like all societies, gender socialization is no different in the Muslim community. Men and women are conditioned by socialized gender roles and expectations, i.e. men are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers. I remember at a Youth Group meeting, our Mufti was teaching Muslim male adolescents that their primary focus (after being a good Muslim) was on establishing a career that (1) required the least amount of work and (2) paid the most amount of money. He stressed that careers were important because it enables Muslim men to get married, and settling down with a family is what all Muslims should aspire for. When we spoke with our Youth Group about dating, I only heard condemnations and unrealistic lessons on how to avoid girls and keep interactions as minimum as possible. Women were not being presented as individuals, but as temptresses who are after a man?s purity/virginity. Women, according to the coordinators at my Mosque, need to be avoided until a man is ready for marriage.
Sobia Ali, a Muslim feminist who has also contributed to the aforementioned Muslimah Media Watch, shares her perspective on the sexualization of Muslim women (emphases added)
The reason Mosques segregate is so that men and women do not get distracted by each other. However, the greater concern is with men?s distraction. The segregation is MAINLY so that men are not distracted by women ? more specifically women?s bodies. It is not women?s mere presence, but rather seeing her body, or hearing her voice which could distract him. Why? Because men could be sexually attracted to women?s bodies and this will interfere with his worship. Therefore, knowing this, and then being forced to be in a completely different space than men, does nothing but remind me that my body, my female form, is a sexual distraction to the men in the Mosque. This of course makes me feel like a sex object or sexual being.
The moment we say a woman?s voice may tempt a man, we are making a sexually-charged remark. We are opposed to the idea of a woman leading prayer because we immediately think that men will ?check her out.? Yet we never seem to realize that women can be attracted to the voice of a Muslim man too. I remember in my freshman year of college, some Muslim girls I knew were raving about how beautifully a Muslim man was reciting the Qur?an during prayer. And there was more to it than just appreciating his spirituality and devotion. ?Well it?s different for men,? I remember a Muslim friend telling me once. ?Men are weaker, and they?re easily attracted to the opposite sex.? Somehow, when I see or hear about Muslim women swooning over, say, Nasheed artist, Sami Yusuf, I find my friend?s statement hard to believe (a Nasheed is an Islamic song, so it?s not like Sami Yusuf is singing in the same genre as Justin Timberlake!).
Why do we treat gender interactions as a potentially sexual act? Are Muslim men so weak that they?re unable to control their urges? Are Muslims supposed to get married based upon socio-economic compatibility over Love and friendship? I remember a fellow Muslim told me, ?Just find someone you?re compatible with, don?t wait to fall in Love.? At the Mosque, I made a comment once about how I Love Lebanese food, and the response was, ?Oh, we?ll have to find you a good Lebanese sister for you, insha?Allah (God willing).? I?ve noticed that a ?good Muslim wife? in the eyes of the Muslim men at my Mosque is someone who is obedient, religious, wears hijaab, and knows how to raise a family. God forbid if there is anything about romance or a woman?s individuality/personality. Why aren?t we taught about the Love that hazrat Khadija and Muhammad had for one another?
Who?s Afraid of Amina Wadud and Female Imams?
Amina Wadud is a Muslim feminist and scholar who made international headlines when she led Friday prayer for a mixed-gender congregation in New York on March 18th, 2005. Over 100 Muslim women and men participated in the prayer despite the controversy and protests that took place. The Muslim protesters held signs reading, ?Mixed congregation today, hell-fire tomorrow,? and one of the speakers was a young Muslim man screaming his head off about how Amina Wadud is a ?prostitute? and ?whore.? Apparently, if a sister in faith is doing something conservatives disagree with, the best way to teach her about modesty is to degrade her sexuality. Who objectifies who again?
Wadud?s prayer was not the first female-led mixed-gender congregation in Islamic history, but it was the first that received international attention. Most of the outrage comes, unsurprisingly, from Muslim men, who argue that Islam does not permit a woman to lead a mixed-congregation. These reactions are interesting to me because I believe they reveal an underlying fear of empowered Muslim women.
It is always irrational when men get offended by feminist movements. The fear that women want to ?enslave men? is a result of the bruised male ego. Men often neglect the fact that women have been treated as property, non-equals, and sex objects for centuries (and still are) by a male-dominated world. A lot of men, whether they?re conscious of it or not, do not want to give up their position of power and they?re afraid of losing their dominance over women. In the case of Amina Wadud, some Muslims argue that a female imam contradicts Islamic Law, but will not bother to read her book or alternative arguments, as if Islam is a monolith and only has one rigid interpretation.
Are we really taught that hazrat Khadijah was an independent tradeswoman and yet women are not allowed to lead prayers? Are we really taught that ?paradise is at the feet of your mother? by the Prophet, and yet we can?t listen to a Muslim woman deliver a khutbah because of whatever ?genetic disposition? she has as a female? Can we really believe that Fatima Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet, will be the first person to enter the afterlife, and yet the voices of Muslim women are completely shut out at Mosques? How can we truly follow the Qur?an, which teaches that men and women are equal spiritual beings, when our community treats women as intellectually inferior to men?
The Muslim Ummah can never move forward or become enlightened unless we evolve spiritually, empower Muslim women, and truly practice gender equality. Allah gave us brains and encourages us to our reason and logic. Instead of raging against Muslim women leading prayers, why aren?t we focusing on the horrible sexual double standard that takes place in our community? What about the Muslim men who fool around with multiple women, but then eventually settle down with a virgin Muslim woman? It is impossible to deny that Muslim women are far more stigmatized and penalized if their shortcomings are discovered by their male counterparts. Why don?t the angry protesters at Amina Wadud?s prayer express their outrage at their Muslim brothers who get drunk, sleep around, and deny the rights of their sisters?
Moving Forward
First of all, we need to get rid of this notion that ?feminism? is a bad word. It?s not. Feminism is about promoting the respect, dignity, and equality of all human beings ? women and men. Second, Muslims need to stop associating feminism with ?Western decadence,? or ?Western liberalism,? which usually means ?secularism.? Muslim feminist values are rooted in Islam, not in something external. I believe with all of my heart that Islam is a perfect religion that teaches gender equality, but Muslims are not perfect, which is why it?s important to address these issues.
Mosques need to be more inclusive of Muslim women. Muslim women should be encouraged to be leaders in our communities, as imams, scholars, educators, directors, activists, artists, and so on. I personally believe in removing the barrier and having Muslim men and women praying in the same room ? with men on one side and women on the other. Separate rooms should be made to accommodate for the Muslims who have more conservative views or want privacy.
Muslims need to remember what their religion teaches them. If Muslim men really understood modesty and humility, we?d be showing so much more respect to women. If a Muslim woman leads prayer or gives a khutbah, we should not be thinking sexual thoughts. If a man has sexual thoughts going into the Mosque, nothing ? not even a barrier ? is going to stop him from having sexual thoughts or desires unless he restrains himself.
Lastly, the phrase ?tear down the walls of separation? is an Islamic mystical (Sufi) expression used to convey the passionate longing that exists in our Souls ? longing for the Divine, longing for Oneness, longing for self-actualization, and so on. Beyond the physical, beyond gender, and beyond this shell we call ?body,? there is a Being at the center of it all. It is not your mouth or tongue that speaks, but rather your Being from within ? that mystery we call ?heart? and ?soul.? The Qur?an teaches gender equality, and yes, women and men are different in many ways, but rather than limiting ourselves to roles based upon gender expectations, we should emphasize on celebrating and appreciating our differences. If we do not actively oppose the sexism and misogyny in our communities, it will persist and only move one step closer to becoming permanent.
?Verily, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in their hearts? ? Qur?an 1311
http//muslimreverie.wordpress.com/2009/10/31/its-time-to-end-gender-segregation-in-mosques/
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Rasul Hamsa
I highly appriciate all female teachers in pakistan who teach adult students! My sister also teaches Law students in university! I have great respect for all those ladies!
every one is not as saint as you..
and talking about England, please I don't understand in which world you and Leyna live in
How FIVE teachers at ONE school all seduced pupils
By Rachel Porter
Last updated at 132 AM on 12th February 2010Read more http//www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1250060/How-FIVE-teachers-ONE-school-seduced-pupils.html#ixzz0t5KTNpbf
Shall i laugh now? i guess NO -
every one is not as saint as you..
its not about being saint its all about being sane!
In pakistan we are brain washed to think about women in a particular way! But still you are more powerful than your brian! You CAN change!
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Rasul Hamsa
so you believe in mixed prayers?
What do you mean? It is not possible, it will lead us to the presnt day church situations, where to attract member ship they are printing nude Calendars, Oh tHat Mouzna of Amina Wadud, I just can't take her out of my mind? don't you understand? that is not possible? why try a failed example of west?
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What do you mean? It is not possible, it will lead us to the presnt day church situations, where to attract member ship they are printing nude Calendars, Oh tHat Mouzna of Amina Wadud, I just can't take her out of my mind? don't you understand? that is not possible? why try a failed example of west?
and where exactly it is (mixed prayers) forbidden in quran? rotfl
