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

Salaam,
I return your question back to you?  Why should men and women not pray 
together?
That is my point - freedom.  If you are so concerned about fitna - then 
remove yourself from the main body of people, but dont force people to be 
apart.  Part of the joy of group salat is standing next to fellow muslims.  
I know that I am often on my own down the back when I go to the mosque for 
Isha, and it is disheartening.  When I pray I dont think of how good looking 
the man next to me is - and no good muslim would - so let us control 
ourselves rather than creating situations where we dont have to.  If there 
are no tests in life - then we can never improve as people.  And while overt 
temptation is silly, there shouldn't be a problem with us lowering our gaze 
around fully clothed men and women in a mosque,

Wa'salaam
Aisha


>From: "Yamin Bismilla" <[email protected]>
>Reply-To: [email protected]
>To: <[email protected]>
>Subject: [Progressivemuslimsnetwork] RE: ProgressiveMuslims digest, Vol 1 
>#360 - 3 msgs
>Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 22:07:21 -0500
>
>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
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>ProgressiveMuslims mailing list
>[email protected]
>http://willo.nitric.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/progressivemuslims

_________________________________________________________________
Hot chart ringtones and polyphonics. Go to  
http://ninemsn.com.au/mobilemania/default.asp