Women-led prayer: Do female prayer protests miss the point?

Last updated on: March 6, 2005 at 9:22 pm by Guest Contributor

Women-led prayer: Do female prayer protests miss the point? 2005-03-06T21:22:00-04:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

On March 18, Dr. Amina Wadud gave the Friday sermon to a mixed gender audience at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York. She also led the Friday prayer to the joint congregation. Dr. Wadud, an Islamic studies professor in the department of philosophy and religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, is nationally and internationally known for her book “Quran and Woman: Re-reading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective”. She knows the meanings and implications of her ijtihad in the eyes of God, and she will be judged according to that. Those who disagree with her ijtihad would be judged according to their own understandings as well.

This controversy cannot be cast as Islamic or un-Islamic, because there is no one to judge people’s actions and intentions but God Almighty. However, what one can discuss is the effectiveness of such an action in proving points pertaining to the status of women in the eyes of God or believers.

If it meant to prove to God that He created everyone equal, then it is futile. He already knows that everyone is equal, and the spiritual status of people in His eyes is not determined by where people stand and how they stand, but what they do.

If it is meant to prove to adversaries that women’s equality cannot be compromised, then again it is a futile effort, especially in a country where the First Amendment allows each individual to express his or her individuality in whatever manner and form as long as it does not violate the laws of the land. In this Christian majority country, people have the right to produce movies against Jesus or burn the national flag or even burn the religious scriptures. Similarly, Muslims who want to practice their religion in a particular form can do so without any restriction as the law of the land allows them to so.

However, if the purpose of the organizers is to improve the status of the average Muslim women, then this is neither the issue nor the place to make the point.

The Muslim establishment in general will simply describe this action as un-Islamic and will urge its followers to oppose it tooth and nail. Perhaps it may even impose more restrictions upon women who want to use masjid facilities to express their spirituality.

Those who describe them as moderates would most probably remain quiet, as they don’t want to alienate either traditional or so-called progressive Muslims.

In a global community where 73 percent of women are illiterate, the controversy about women leading the prayer or giving Friday khutbah is irrelevant. In an ummah where 64 percent of women live below the poverty line, this controversy is useless. And in a nation where 79 percent of women suffer from lack of adequate health care, this controversy is a non-issue.

Those who are seriously concerned about improving the status of Muslim women should devote themselves to identifying with the impoverished, underprivileged and powerless women that are scattered all over the world. To talk about equality in a country that protects equality through constitutional means is a meaningless effort. However, to identify with those who suffer at the grassroots is heroic.

Muslim women who suffer from all kinds of ills that a patriarchal society has imposed upon them have often been betrayed by those who claim to be religious leaders, or by those who want to denounce religious establishment for its lack of commitment to Islam. Indeed, both have betrayed Muslim women. During the last several decades, both have watched Muslim women lose their dignity while they have conducted debates about Islam and its relevance for the world at large. Both have failed to identify with those invisible beings whose whole existence has become subject to the prevailing ignorance.

True empowerment will not come from imposing this new controversy. Rather, it will come when intellectuals who are genuinely concerned about the plight of women identify with women at the grassroots level. The real battle is not in mosques here in the United States. This is a free country. Everyone is entitled to do whatever he or she wants to do. The true battle is against those centuries-old traditions and attitudes that have deprived women of their creativity and role in the reconstruction of a new civilization that can surpass all previous civilizations. It is time that we realize what our priorities are, and devote our intellectual and material resources to execute them.

However, if we continue to impose controversy after controversy upon a community that has no leaders and no teachers, we will plunge ordinary people into a crisis that we will not be able to control.

The divine teachings are for guidance, and not for settling one’s personal differences. Much of what we see in our organized activities is nothing but a reflection of our egos and super egos. We fail to do the most obvious and fight over the most trivial, because it serves our egos to see people humiliated, or degraded or proven wrong. We have got to change our entire attitude to the divine message if we truly want to be ambassadors of Islam.

God wants a group of selfless people who can share the divine teachings with the rest of humanity – beyond their personal likes, dislikes and egos. Until that group emerges and takes its rightful place in the community, we will all be plagued with non-issues and trivial controversies.

Dr. Aslam Abdullah is editor of the Muslim Observer and director of the Islamic Society of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as the director of the Muslim Electorates Council of America.

Commentary

Previous Post

March 4, 2005

Gun Ownership: In the fight against terrorism, some rights must be repealed

Next Post

March 7, 2005 Shabina Begum case: Freedom and consensus clash in jilbab ruling

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Elections 30 Dayd 30 Writers (2017) 30 Days 30 Writers 30 Days 30 Writers (2015) 30 Days 30 Writers (2016) 30 Days 30 Writers (2018) 30 Days 30 Writers 2017 Ali Asadullah Ali Eteraz Alper Bilgili Arthur Richards Asides Asma Uddin Black History Month Briefings Charles Turner Commentary Cyrus McGoldrick Eman H Aly Fatimah Popal Hajj Hajj and Dhul Hijjah Hesham Hassaballa Hisham Hellyer Ibrahim Abusharif Inas Younis Irfan Yusuf Jalal Baig Junaid Afeef Laila Alawa Laila Alwala Mas'ood Cajee Muqtedar Khan Nakia Jackson Newsmakers Parvez Ahmed Podcasts Rabia Chaudry Rafia Zakaria Ramadan Reviews Safiyyah Ally Saud Inam Shahed Amanullah Svend White The Opinionated Oncologist Visions Wajahat Ali Zahed Amanullah Zahir Janmohamed Zainab Khan

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Lo-Ammi" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Not My People The Lord is My Salvation Chosen One Exiled