It seems that one or two female converts to Islam are trying to bring Muslim women full circle, thanks to the generous pages of The Age which include today’s rather lengthy 690 word editorial.
The new Mufti agrees, the right won by Muslim women to have their own private space away from prying eyes inside places of worship is being chipped away because one or two new Muslims would rather their mosque resembled a church.
Whilst it may be fine for the two genders to mix freely inside a church, formal Islamic prayers involve movements that are not conducive to free mixing, there are bowing and prostrations during which a person is meant to pack tightly next to fellow worshippers and totally focus on God, barring an emergency, no worldly distractions could interrupt a Muslim man or woman praying.
How many people would feel comfortable bending over and remaining in that position for up to a minute or so and then putting their heads down and backside up, faces flat on the floor, for indeterminate durations, whilst this faithful person is praying to and communicating with her or his Maker? Add to this the element of a member of the opposite gender behind you, or tightly next to you and you will realise why women deserve this private space away from men!
Not all mosques offer this private space, neither did the first mosque built by the prophet (peace and blessings upon him) nor the great mosque in Mecca (where other suitable arrangements exist). Women are entitled to this private space for numerous reasons, not least of which is the ability to bow and “lie face down” before God in privacy without concern for males rubbing shoulders with them or leering behind them. This is not to say that all or any of the sincere male worshippers would do that. However, if women did not have such private space, one could imagine the circle of male worshippers may multiply (and new converts joining en masse) to allow those who like to pack their person tightly against women in crowded places to attend in an attempt to create a different type of “worship”.
When the mosque is overcrowded on special occasions, you will hear the prayer leader inviting people to pack tightly and adding: “It is OK to put your head on the back of your brother in front of you”. Imagine how comfortable a sister would feel with a brother violating her private space and placing his face on her back.
In Australia, because locals regularly fight against the development of new mosques, it means that our mosques are overcrowded and overflowing, especially on Fridays and festive days, at the moment, people prefer to overflow onto car parks, lawns and footpaths rather than crowding their brothers, the new Mufti’s suggestion may provide just the incentive to keep the crowd tightly packed inside the mosque.
The formal Muslim prayer involves movements, this prayer is no different to the one in the garden of Gethsemane where Christ (peace and blessings upon him) prayed, falling on his noble face, asking God to remove the cup from him.
What would we do without Keysar Trad to speak up for women? After all he is always so patronising and patriachal. Oh that is right we could listen to the women themselves. The women who don’t see why they should be treated as less than second class and deserve a place where they can participate without having to worry about the inadequacy of their surroundings.
If Keysar is worried about planning approval perhaps he should try and think why anyone might object to a mosque. Keysar’s pleas seem to suggest that women cannot ever be more than sexual objects to men who might sit beside them. If men have such trouble concentrating on prayer then they should be out in the car park not the women who are genuine in their worship.
My dear friends as I have read this article I must admit when I read this article I love to think Muslims, men
or women benefit from their time of prayer, and it brings joy and peace to their mind, when Pope John, went anywhere he bent down to the ground, I gather as a sign of respect, thankfulness, to the Creator for the beauty
of creation. As a Christian I draw aside each day in times of. prayer to say thanks to the Lord of Hosts
, and that He will guard me each day, I do not hold any grudge against Muslims for having times of Prayer
The “one or two female converts to Islam” whose views Keysar dismisses include a woman who founded not one but two Muslim independent schools in Sydney. They also include a legal academic who has studied Islamic sacred law in Malaysia and who serves as V-P of a national Muslim women’s network.
I’d rather have them speak for me than some bloke whose greatest contribution to Muslim women was to defend the indefensible remarks of a former so-called “mufti” and then follow this up with a call for the law to be changed so that men could take second, third and fourth wives.
Keyser Trad seems to have a very low opinion of his muslim brothers and sisters, suggesting that to worship alongside one another will clearly lead to “leering” and “to pack their person tightly against women in crowded places to attend in an attempt to create a different type of “worship”. Of course, if they really believed and followed the Qur’an then this would of course be a non-issue as the brothers would all respect the sisters. But if this kind of thinking is representative of the kind of respect that muslim men pay to muslim women, I guess I wouldn’t want to lie prostrate in front of them either.
And of course the same thing could be said of entrusting young boys to the care of catholic priests…
The mental gymnastics and breathtaking leaps of logic undertaken by some defenders of certain Islamic attitudes towards women continues to amaze. Keysar Trad’s attack on women wanting a bit more consideration in mosques is almost Pythonesque. Because some Islamic women have the temerity to request better facilities, he treats them like Oliver asking “Please sir, I want some more?” Ignoring what is actually being discussed, he treats any criticism as an attack on Islam itself. Know what, Keysar? The day that you suggest women can have equal but separate facilities, instead of having to worship in the car park, and the day that you suggest ALL Muslims, male or female, wear head-to-toe covering, I might take you seriously. Until then, all you are doing is demonstating the very same ill-treatment of women, of which some sections of the Islamic community – mainly male – are accused. If that’s the best you can do, I suggest you keep quiet and leave it to more thoughtful people like Waleed Aly – your kind of moronic argument does your community more harm than good.