Today was family day at the Masjid. There was food, games, gossip, hijabs for sale (I had to buy one!) birth announcements, the whole bit. I decided this would be a great opportunity for my in laws to see the diversity of the American Muslims. It was fun, I enjoyed my self and being among my peeps, after we prayed and were about to leave my mother in law Amee said something that was actually a little shocking to me. First the backstory:
Amee has lived all her life in Pakistan, this is her forst time outside of the country, she is educated, a teacher like myself. Amee's father was a wealthy landlord who was quite religiously conservative. Amee does not hijab like most Pakistani women but it still quite modest. Amee is from an area of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan. Knowing all this I was still stunned when my 58 year old mother in law said "this is my first time at a Masjid"
Pakistan is a Muslim country (in theory) there is a Masjid on every corner.... so WHY? The misjid is the house of Allah... Why had she never went? she told me that she was happy to have been at the Masjid and had me take her picture so that she could show her friends when she went back home.
Really? I don't understand why women would not be welcomed or at least have their own Masjids... I still don't get it.
what is your opinion?
6 comments:
Sadly, it's a cultural thing there and in India that women don't go to the masjid. Some of the masaajid do not even have a women's section. Even on Eid a lot of the women don't go ,they stay home and prepare for the men to come home. It's really sad subhanAllah. Islam is not against women in the masjid but its culture that taints the beauty of Islam sometimes!
indeed sometimes people put culture above religion out of ignorance (or other reasons) and unfortunately this is the case not only in Pakistan or India :(
salaam alaikum
i have to agree with lazeena umm yusuf, my understanding is that in pakistan women are not allowed to attend a masjid. i have a similar problem in morocco, the womens are if they have one is small and usually lacks a wudu area. in spain the masjids usually do not have a womans area at all. some cities like madrid tend to have a womans prayer area but other cities like the one iù living in do not have a womans area. very sad!
Salaam sis
I think it's becoming more acceptable for women to attend mosques now in many parts of Asian countries, although many are still male only :| I think for people of my mum's generation and probably for your MIL, praying at home and congregating in women's centre's was their idea of a norm, where as us for us, we want to attend mosques because it is slowly becoming the norm for us. Hmm.
salaams ladies and thank you all so much for the comments... I am begining to understand the concept of a womans place is in the home but I really think it is so outdated and just a little insane.
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