A Group Of Muslim Women Sought To Pray In The Main Area

[KIWI MUSLIM]

"PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE IN OUR POLL AND CHOOSE ONE ANSWER ABOVE AND THEN WRITE MORE ABOUT YOUR ANSWER IN A REPLY TO THIS TOPIC!"

A Group Of Muslim Women Sought To Pray In The Main Area Reserved Exclusively For Men



A group of Muslim women have risked arrest as they sought to pray in the main area of the Islamic Center of Washington -- an area ordinarily reserved exclusively for men.

"Wooden barriers have to be taken down and women have to be allowed to join, to pray behind the men in the main praying area. That's our request," said Fatima Thompson, an American Muslim who converted to the faith 18 years ago.

"We are against gender segregation, against the fact that women are put aside or in a totally different room at the mosque," added Thompson, who led the group of female protesters, all self-identified progressive Muslims.

The protest that took place on Sunday was the second time women have sought to share the main prayer area at the mosque in Washington DC, after a group of 20 women first tried in February.

"The general issue we are pushing is gender segregation and the ramifications it fosters. It's not healthy, and not reflective of our society here. It's very reflective of very restrictive, ultra orthodox societies," Thompson added.

Their hair covered with headscarves, the group of six women entered the mosque's prayer area via the main door usually reserved for men and walked through to the room where around 20 men had already arrived. Women and children ordinarily enter the Washington mosque, located in the city's embassy district, through a small door hidden behind a screen.



Source

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http://www.ndtv.com/news/world/muslim-women-fight-restricted-access-to-mosque-17370.php

"PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE IN OUR POLL AND CHOOSE ONE ANSWER ABOVE AND THEN WRITE MORE ABOUT YOUR ANSWER IN A REPLY TO THIS TOPIC!"

[AMINAH]

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi

I voted NO..and my reason for that is:


If the mosque includes areas in addition to a prayer area, then women can enter without restriction. Whether women and men should be separated in such areas is also a subject of debate. Some mosques choose to have men and women sit on separate sides of the lecture hall, for example.

Others do not allow women and men to meet in the same place at all. Considering the fact that the idea of mosque as something more than a masjid is relatively new in terms of Islamic history, there is no obvious text that says how things MUST be done.

Either way, no one should be excluded from participating in the activities or made to feel unwelcome simply because of their gender. Clearly, our Prophet (pbuh) never turned anyone away from the masjid.

Finally, in jama'a which is the communal prayer on Fridays, the Qur'an states that it is an obligation for "you who believe" but the common interpretation is that this injunction as a fard or obligation that applies only to men (see Sura 62).

For many women, this is viewed as a relief from a requirement that would be difficult to fulfill due to obligations with child-rearing. However, the fact that women are not required to attend often is used as a reason for actively PREVENTING women from participating in Juma'a.

As you may well know, the Prophet (pbuh) clearly stated, "Do not prevent the hand-maidens of Allah (i.e. believing women) from going to the masjid." So while they may not be required to attend, they still benefit if they do from the blessings of praying in jama'a and from the knowledge they gain by listening to the khutbah.

But to mingle freely among the Men makes a Woman in my eyes not chaste enough..and it can bring Her in a bad situation.

[YUSUF]

I fully agree with Sister Aminah,s comments.

Free mixing of men & women whether it be for prayer or any other pretext is Haram in Islam.

Best regards,
Yusuf