Women's Rights

A MUSLIM woman has been awarded nearly £35,000 after she suffered an 18-month campaign of racial and sexual discrimination at Europe’s largest mosque. The “spiteful” treatment of Nahid Mahmoud, a secretary at the Islamic Cultural Centre and Central Mosque in Regent’s Park, London, amounted to an “exploitation of the weakness of women in Islamic culture”, an employment tribunal was told.

My Grandfather (Allah rest his soul) used to tell me stories of colonial British India. He described how the Colonial British would build grand establishments and display large notice boards outside saying ‘Indians and dogs not allowed’. He told me how humiliating and demeaning it was…I didn’t understand then. However I think I somewhat understand now. The mosque I attempted to pray in last Friday may as well have had a sign outside that said ‘Women and dogs not allowed’

HOUNDED, ABUSED and then physically ATTACKED. Brothers and sisters this is the reaction I was faced with when, as a sister in Islam, I voiced my wish to pray in a masjid. Some sisters and I were giving out leaflets which quoted the hadith of the prophet (pbuh) allowing sisters to pray in the mosque - Ibn Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: ‘DO NOT DEPRIVE WOMEN OF THEIR SHARE OF THE MOSQUES.’ [Sahih Muslim, book 4, number 891] At first some brothers quietly took the leaflets, but the atmosphere soon turned nasty when a large group of men emerged from the mosque...

Muslim sisters asking for access to local mosque find the door slammed in their faces – literally! “We went with the intention to achieve good results, but little did we know what we were about to face...

[There is still confusion within the Muslim Community as regards to what role a Muslim Woman should play on the Masjid Committee Board. We ask the Shaykhs from SunniPath and here is their reply. Question: I wanted to know if Muslimah Sisters can take positions such as women representatives on the Masajid Boards/Committee Boards to represent the Muslim women for the community?

I was speaking in Chicago's oldest mosque where the main prayer hall accommodates about a thousand people. 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? I also reminded the audience that in the Prophet's mosque, women could hear and see the Prophet Muhammad, (pbuh), 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.

We have concluded from the teachings of the Qu'ran that both men and women have an obligation to develop themselves spiritually and fulfil their social responsibilities, so why is it that women are constrained from the Masjid? Islam has not prescribed this for women so why are we, today, shackled by cultural inaccuracies which bar women from the Masjid and other social involvement?

Why Your Mosque Should be Woman Friendly,

by American convert, Saraji Umm Zaid.

With my children and (non Muslim) mother in tow, I went off to a park while my husband prayed (in the Majid).  As a Muslima, I felt humiliated and angry, and I was embarrassed for the Ummah that my non Muslim mother should have to see Muslims barring me from Bait Ullah [house of God] for no reason other than my gender.  Nothing like reinforcing negative stereotypes, is there?  Later, the brothers there told my husband that it was nothing against me, there just "wasn't room" for women in this masjid.