Problems of Womens’ Space in Masjids - Focus on Chicago
Abdul Malik Mujahid
Last Friday, I was all set to give a Khutba 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.
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1 comment:
I'm glad at least one imam is saying this-- he indicated strong popular support for his critique of institutional misogyny-- so why is change so slow in coming? I guess as a Muslim feminist I feel the same way about American mosques as I feel about American politics still dominated by a right-wing agenda, when a majority of the American people hold more progressive views on the issues than the Republicans. Why do conservative forces hold this frustratingly disproportional power to block progressive change? What popular action will it take to dislodge the blockages and restore power to the people?
This is an example of why I have become so bitterly disillusioned with the failure of American Muslims to face current realities after 9/11 and shake off the heavy obstruction to progress from the ultraconservative elite who still hold sway, even in the face of such pressing need for reform.
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