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Women’s Space at the masjid: need opinion

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mariyah View Drop Down
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    Posted: 25 November 2006 at 2:27pm

Assalaamu alaikum:

At our local IC, A question was put out in our mailing group about improvements that need to be made at the masjid to update it. The following is an article I received in an email from our women's group.

 I am asking for imput from my sisters here on this subject that I may relay back to our women's caucas. Please Leave your opinions and views on the subject.

Jazakallah khair for your consideration

Challenges of Women Space in Masjids


Abdul Malik Mujahid

Last Friday, I was all set to give a Khutba(Sermon) about the need for Muslims to plan ahead on an individual and community level. My notes were ready and I was in full "Khutba mode". But before sermon time, I decided to change the topic completely -- to talk about the exclusion of Muslim women from the mosque and community life.

It wasn't an earth-shattering event that made me change the topic. It was an email. And it proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. It was one of five emails I received last week about Islamic events with a clear "brothers only" statement. One notice for a regional conference even stated categorically that there was no space for women and children under 15 at the event.

 

 

 

 

 

But the emails were only part of the story. A week before, I had given a Khutba in another, brand-new mosque in the heart of Chicago. After the prayer, while in the elevator, I overheard four Muslim sisters speaking angrily about their experience in the Masjid.

"If I wanted to watch TV, I'd stay home," said one of the women, disgusted. I asked them what was wrong, and they told me how they could only see the Imam through a TV system set up in the women's section. Moreover, the space was inconvenient, uncomfortable and was changed twice that day. This was despite the fact that months ago, the leadership of this mosque had promised me that they would involve sisters in decision-making about how the women's space would be set up.

The Khutba

I was speaking in Chicago's oldest mosque where the main prayer hall accommodates about a thousand people. It has a small, curtained off space in the corner for about 40 or so women. Due to the sensitive nature of my topic, it did occur to me before the Khutba that I might not be invited to give a Friday sermon there in the future. Nonetheless, I made the following points and asked these questions:

Who decides how women's space in the mosque is allocated and organized?

How many women sit on the Board of Directors of our mosques?

If women are part of the Board of Directors, are they elected, chosen by women, selected by both men and women or are they simply the wives of male board members?

I also reminded the audience that in the Prophet's mosque, women could hear and see the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings are upon him, and later, the leaders of the Muslims (Khulafa) when they spoke from the pulpit. Actually there are reports of interaction with the Prophet when women raised questions. Caliph Omar even went back to give another sermon to withdraw his opinion when a women from the audience gave him critical feedback after his Khutba.

Moreover, when the Prophet felt that the women were too far away to hear or he had specific points to make, he would walk over to their section and present a Khutba for them.

Examples from Islamic history

Women in early Islamic history were active not just as "mothers and wives" but contributed as individual Muslim women in all aspects of the community.

On a scholarly level, there was Aisha, may God be pleased with her. She is credited with disseminating the knowledge of Islam and information about almost all aspects of Islamic life. Today, nearly half of the Islamic jurisprudence of the Hanafi school of thought (which is followed by about 70 percent of the Muslim world) comes through the students of Aisha alone.

On a political level, there was Umm Salama. During the signing of the Treaty of Hudaibiya, when none of the Muslim men agreed to forego Hajj due to the demands of the pagan Meccans, the Prophet consulted Umm Salama. Her advice to him was to perform the rituals indicating that they would not be performing the pilgrimage, and the Muslims would follow. He heeded her advice, and as she suggested, the Muslims accepted this.

After the death of the Prophet, one major issue was how to preserve the authenticity of the Quran. Although the Quran had always been committed to memory and writing, the written pages were scattered. When a master copy was put together at the time of the first Khalifa, Abu Bakr, that copy was not kept with him or any other Muslim man. It was kept with a woman -- Hafsa (may God be pleased with her).

Finally, in Madina during the leadership of Omar (may God be pleased with him) Al Shifa Bint Abdullah was made in charge of trade and commerce in the city.

These are just a few examples of the dynamic role women played in early Islamic history. But they are of no use if the inclusion of Muslim women in the mosque and community is reflected only in theory.

"Men's Islam" or Islam for All

While sisters are a full part of the community, many mosques are run as though Islam is just for men. This is evident by looking at women's spaces, their decoration, their uncomfortable size and design, the absence of women from the Board of Directors of most mosques and the relegation of their activism and ideas to a "women's committee".

Muslim women in North America are as professional as Muslim men and contribute as generously. I remember fundraising in a New Jersey Masjid. Five Muslim women contributed $25,000 each within the first 12 minutes. It inspired me to ask the audience: is there a man who can match these donations?

And that's how women's participation is. They know they will not get to Jannah because of the good deeds of their husbands. Each man and women has to find his or her own way to success in this world and next, knowing that God's promise is this:

"I will deny no man or woman among you the reward of their labors. You are the offspring of one another." (Quran 3:195).

"Each person shall reap the fruits of his/her own deeds: no soul shall bear another's burden." (Quran 6:164)

The Reaction to the Khutba

Normally, two or three people will approach me after a Khutba to thank and compliment me for it. This time, ten times more people came over, appreciating what I had said, Alhamdu lillah. That's one of the most positive instances of feedback I've ever gotten in years of giving Khutbas! Although I have yet to hear the response from the leadership of the Masjid, this gives me hope that the community is ready for change.

A few board members also spoke very positively about the points I raised, including one of the founding members. The question is, who is stopping the change?

Current Chicago Masjid Spaces for Women

In Chicago, I estimate that in about ten percent of the Friday prayer locations, there is proper space for sisters' participation. In these places men and women are in the same location without a curtain or wall separating them. In terms of the remaining 80 percent of mosques that do have a space for women, these are often cramped and inconvenient. By inconvenient, I mean that women cannot see the Imam or do not know what is happening in the congregational prayer. In about 10 percent of the Chicago-area mosques there are no spaces for women.

One Muslim sister in the city related to me her experience after visiting one of the largest mosques in Chicago that had an inconvenient room for women. When she entered the women's area, a group of sisters was standing in line, thinking prayer had started because the recitation of the Quran could be heard. Taking Quran recitation as a cue for congregational prayer, the sister joined the others in line. After several minutes, when the man ended his recitation without calling for the next step of prayer, Ruku, the women learned that it was not a prayer. Needless to say, the women were humiliated and upset about this confusing situation. This is just an example of the practical problems this segregation in prayer places causes.

An additional problem in mosques where women cannot see the Imam is the fact that the noise level often becomes unacceptable. This tends to be because most men dump the responsibility for taking care of their active children on their wives when they go to the men's section of mosque. Also, since women can't see what's going on, they end up talking to each other. This leads to the Imam asking women to "be quiet please," furthering tension and exclusion.

When women are out of sight, it's also more likely that they will be out of mind. That means their discourse and participation are ignored on a Masjid and community level. Moreover, few women have easy access to the Imam, which worsens the problem, since the Imam is the one man who can make a significant difference in bringing women's issues and problems to the attention of other Muslim men in the community. This perhaps explains why you don't normally hear many Khutbas on women's challenges here in America or abroad.

Negative Dawa

The situation becomes worse when non- Muslims visit. They see there are hardly any women present in the mosque. Or, if there are a few, they are confined to a small and less ceremonious corner. What kind of Dawa is this? What kind of impression does this give in our current context, where the battle against stereotypes is ten times harder than it was pre-9/11 America? This visual impact is far greater and far more lasting then tens of books lauding the status of women in Islam. Since Shahadah (witnessing) is the first pillar of Islam, this obstacle to outreach must be dealt with.

Of course, women, unlike men, are given a choice by the Prophet to pray at home or in the mosque. But the Prophet was categorical in telling men "do not stop women from coming to the Masjid." Friday prayers are also optional for women. But considering that Friday sermons are the only Islamic educational opportunity available to most women in the North America Muslim women should attend Friday prayers. This is especially important because we do not yet have a widespread tradition of female teachers, as is the case in the Muslim world. I am pretty sure Caliph Omar would have encouraged Friday prayer attendance by women if he was alive today in the United States, may God be pleased with him.

Who is stopping women from the Masjid

Knowing both of these Masjids, their volunteer leadership, and the fact that women are on their boards, I don't think either of them stops women from attending and participating. The first Masjid's president did make an announcement twice in front of me inviting women to visit the new location to help determine the sisters' space. I think, perhaps, need sisters taking these issues more seriously instead of accepting the current situation.

In the second Masjid, I learned that some sisters prefer to pray behind a curtain. An easy solution could be to make a larger area where women who do not want a curtain between the men and women, as was the practice in the mosque of the Prophet, can pray. Behind them, women who are comfortable praying behind a curtain can do this.

With lower donations as a result of donor chasing by the FBI, extra expenses for security and legal battles, which six or seven Masjids in the Chicago-area are going through, the last thing on the mind of Muslim leadership is women's space. About 80 percent of the Masjids in the Chicago area do not have any permanent Imam. Volunteers like me are asked to offer the Friday sermon on a rotational basis. Almost all of these Masjids' leaders are busy professionals who volunteer their time to run the community centers, schools and Masjids. Unless someone is pushing for something, things will continue as they have been.

This is why I have come to the conclusion that the agenda of women's space will not come to the forefront unless Muslim women take it upon themselves.

Establishing a Muslim Women's Caucus

It is time that sisters come together and provide leadership in clearly defining a Muslim women's manifesto for change in mosques in North America. If these sisters are practicing Muslims, they will have a far higher level of success in demanding change and leading it.

I would like to make a plea to leading Muslim women in North America who are respected and honored by the community to call a national women's caucus on these issues. In this conference, the following things need to be discussed and tackled:

1. An agenda outlining change in the Muslim community centers and Masjids in which

  • Each Masjid should formally declare that it is unIslamic to stop women from attending a mosque
  • The need to restore women's space in the mosque as it was at the Prophet's time (i.e. without a curtain or a wall separating men and women) is stressed
  • Develop a welcoming space where they have a clear view of the Imam

2. One-third of Masjids' Board of Directors should be composed of sisters, one-third of brothers, and one-third of people born in North America.

3. A mechanism for an ongoing Muslim Women's Caucus needs to be developed

On the issue of women's exclusion from the mosque, this Muslim Women's Caucus may want to do the following:

  1. Invite the leadership of major mosques, as well as national and continental Muslim organizations to a closed-door dialogue with an equal number of Muslim women leaders present.
  2. Give a deadline to all Masjids that do not have a space for women to allocate one in consultation with women.
  3. If space is extremely limited and there is no cultural and ideological objection to it, then allocate time for additional congregational prayer for women lead by women as was done by Umm Waraqa with the Prophet's permission when she lead her staff regularly in prayers in her own home as reported by Sahih Abu Dawud. (If thousands of women lead other women in prayers throughout Pakistan, it can be done in a mosque here as well).

Shura (consultation) has been a way of life for Muslims (42:38). If our families and our communities are not run on Shura, open communication and proper representation, how will we grow?

"The true believers, both men and women, are friends to each other. They enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil; they attend to their prayers and pay the alms and obey God and His apostle. On these God will have mercy. He is Mighty and Wise." (Quran 7:71)



--

"Every good deed is charity whether you come to your brother's assistance or just greet him with a smile.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Muslimah07 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 December 2006 at 9:14am

Salaam,

GREAT ARTICLE!!!

Yes, this is a growing problem, and its even been highlighted in major newspapers. If memory serves me correct, I think "The New York Times" covered this subject.

It seems that we women are being "pushed out of the mosque" with uncomfortable spaces, small spaces, segregation, speaker systems, etc. However, my very wise mother taught me that "Women will not be free, until they Liberate Themselves". It's upon US WOMEN to stand up for ourselves and demand respect and fair treatment.

I agree that women should sit on the Board of Masjids and Mosques. That is OUR RIGHT.

There is a very good masjid in Steling Virgina called ADAMS Mosque that has 5,000 members, and Women sit on the Board, and I believe men and women are not separated during prayer. The Iman is very much into women's rights. Perhaps they could call a conference of Imans and the community on the East Coast about this subject--maybe you could contact them http://www.adamscenter.org

There is a documentary about Women being pushed out at the Mosque by a Muslim Sister--and it was even on cable TV a few months ago. She decided to simply enter the men's area during the calling of the prayer, and stand behind them and perform Salat. Maybe this needs to happen more! I'm up for it!!

http://www.muslim-refusenik.com/news/nydailynews-05-03-03.ht ml

I AM SURPRISED THAT NO SISTERS HAVE RESPONDED TO THIS QUESTION... SISTER'S WHERE ARE YOU??? "THE BELIEVERS ARE ONE WHO DEFEND THEMSELVES WHEN WRONGED" . (Koran)

Salaams

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suleyman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 December 2006 at 11:11am

Women of Islam suffering too much from menmade mosques,sistera are unable to have their ablutions and no separated place to pray inside,may Allah give patience to them...amin...

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hanan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 December 2006 at 11:42am

.



Edited by Hanan
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jenni Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 December 2006 at 12:14pm
Hanan, in the time of the prophet women prayed behind men with no barrier. This is commen knowledge. There is no reason for seclusion or a wall and this is only cultural. Women need to be involved at all levels in the Masjid except for taking the role as an Imam. Why should we give our hard earned money to an institution that has no room for us. AND what makes the immigrants to the west think they WILL RAISE EDUCATED DAUGHTERS that will be doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists ect. that will sit in the basement of a Mousqe and not be heard. COME ON!! The next generation won't even go!
You cant be a good muslim if you are not decent and have a cold heart. Be a decent and kind person and care for women and children and the elderly.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ummziba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 December 2006 at 12:24pm

Assalamu alaikum,

Excellent topic Sister Maryah!  There is a wonderful short film by Canadian film maker Zarqa Nawaz called "Me and the Mosque" that addresses this issue in a very interesting way.  You might want to show this film to your mosque board....

Here is the link of where you can purchase the DVD from the National Film Board of Canada:

http://www2.nfb.ca/boutique/ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?a=b&for matid=51517&support=DVD

It is the right of every Muslimah to stand shoulder to shoulder with her sisters behind the men in any masjid on this planet.  We are losing our legal right to wear hijab in areas all over the world.  Now our own men are taking away our rights in our own houses of worship!  It is our duty to fight for and uphold our rights given to us by Allah the Most Merciful.

Peace, ummziba.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mariyah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 December 2006 at 5:16pm
Originally posted by Hanan Hanan wrote:

Sisters, forgive me for not answering sooner.

Our masjid is small, the rooms are divided by a top-to-bottom tinted glass wall and the women have full view of the Imam. I�ve never met the Imam (or any of the brothers) and have no idea about our local masjid �politics.� (I don�t go there anymore).

Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but I disagree with the sister�s decision to enter the men's area during the calling of the prayer and to stand behind them. I still remember, the so-called �women�s lib movement� and it has left a sour taste in my mouth. Was it necessary? Yes! Did many women go overboard with their demands, behavior and attitudes towards men? Yes! This is what I fear might happen if the sisters carry things too far. Not all traditions and established rules have to be abandoned and, inshallah, things don�t get too radical. I have horror visions of female Imams and sisters-only masjids. I never had to �burn my bra� to assert myself and take what�s rightfully mine as a woman.

Peace, Hanan

Assalaamu alaikum sis:

And I don't burn my bras either. They cost too much money to replace.

My issue with the womens space in the Tucson IC is that it is TOTALLY blocked off from the mens area and we have no idea what is going on. There is audio, and no visual, eoither tv or window. We had an Egyptian guest Imam during Ramadan so when he was reciting the Quran, the sisters thought he was starting the prayer and thus lined up too early. We are in a small room and the only thing we have for a mihrab to indicate the direction of salat is a crude child painted picture on the wall in the direction or Quibla. we are totally separated and squashed together while the men stretch out in luxury. What we want is a CHOICE and a VOICE,  not to be locked in some small closet in the back as if we did not exist.The women who like their seclusion should keep their room and anyone who wants to see what is going on should have the choice.  We have possibly more women in our group than men! In the small mexican masjid where we attend most of the time in my mother in law's town the women are behind the men. If we follow the advice of the prophet ,we do well.

Amazing how the mosque in the third world country where I live most of my time treat their women better than the Americans do. Is that why you don't attend the mosque? I will eventually return to the US to live, and I would like to see some respect for women in this country. Most of the separation and repression is of cultural origin, not Islamic! The new president of the ISNA is a woman!

But thank you for your honest imput. We need to remember that many of the sisters are used to the seclusion and we must leave them the right to have it if they desire it! It is a point I will remember!



Edited by Maryah
"Every good deed is charity whether you come to your brother's assistance or just greet him with a smile.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hayfa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 December 2006 at 10:42am

one thing interesting was that in Pakistan when I went to the Masjid the boy children, even young ones went with the men. Good for them to taking on adult duties as much as the women.

Hanan, where as I agree to a degree with what you said t he question I have is, how do you change it otherwise? How do you get people to "see" what they do is wrong? Not that this is the same thing, but it is like when there were discriminatory laws on the books towards black people here in the US. Some people told them to "be patient" and do it another way. What do you do if people won't listen? They chose to just sit at the counters as nothing was changing. Would they still be waiting ro be allowed to eat in the same places as white people if they had chosen not to sit down?

I just wonder what is the right course of action? Is there really a right way to do things?

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi
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