RE: ProgressiveMuslims digest, Vol 1 #360 - 3 msgs

Slaams,

Well while I'm sure some mosques have a 'elite' I think a big part of islam
is recognizing our faults.  Why should men and women pray together?    Why
not pray separately but equally?  Why would a woman feel inferior praying
alongside her fellow woman instead of with men?  Why shouldn't women lead
their own prayers with women as the prayer leaders?

I'm sorry to say, but believing that you can totally remove sexuality from
any person(man or woman) is ridiculous.  No person can be without sexuality,
just as people cannot be without some measure of happiness, honour,
sadness...We all have wants and needs and recognizing that is crucial for
all.

This is not to say anything of the hijab/burka/niqaab or any such things,
but I'm speaking specifically of the segregated mosque situation.

Slaam,

Yameen


> Salaam,
> I agree, and I also thought the letter was great.  Being in
> australia I cant
> offer my support in person, but I would like to in some other form.
> Do you think muslims over sexualise the female body, or perhaps its
> something else?  To me, it seems a lot about keeping women in a less
> powerful position than men.  Everything from hijab,
> segragated mosques, the
> lack of female imams etc - they all add up to make women inferior and
> submissive to the will of men.  The hijab, progressing to the
> niqaab and
> burqa really serves to depersonalise women - and women can never be
> prominent in society if they have no identity.  So - if you
> cover your wife,
> and make her stay at home, or in a back room at the mosque -
> you can be sure
> she will never have any influence on the outside world.
> Thats why you see 2
> year old girls in hijab - its not a sexual thing - its a power thing.
> The whole situation is ridiculous.......... why have muslims
> come to this
> point where most of our effort go into rabidly enforcing
> rules to keep women
> out of public life, in fear that they might incite the
> dreaded fitna!!!?
> Insha'allah women will one day pray with men, and maybe even
> behind a female
> imam one day - that would be fantastic!!!
>
> Wa'salaam
> aisha