mahussain3
Son of Aa'ishah(R.A)
Women imams could be leading prayers in British mosques within 15 years, according to a leading Muslim.
However, resistance from traditionalists means that although women may lead other women, it could be decades before they lead mixed congregations.
The number of female Islamic scholars, or alimahs, is soaring. Until recently there were very few. Now there are five seminaries for women against two for men. Hundreds of women are now qualified to advise and counsel both men and women in Islam.
Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, a conflict resolution organisation funded by the Government and private benefactors, told that Muslims were discussing an enhanced role for women.
Some women Muslims already lead women in prayers at home or in special settings such as women’s prisons. Their “congregations” refer to them as imamahs.
Faith Matters is preparing next month to publish a survey into 500 mosques in England with a league table of women-friendly mosques as part of the Government’s “developing diversity” programme. There are 50 “five star” and 50 “four star” mosques with good prayer space for women, washing facilities and women in leadership and advisory roles.
Men and women are segregated in prayer in Islam because men are considered the weaker sex and unable to avoid distraction.
In the survey, Mr Mughal says: “At the root of Islamic history is the fact that women have played a key role in Islamic development.” He said the comfort and advice Mohammed’s wife Khadijah gave him helped him to overcome “turbulent” times.
Nothing in the Koran prohibits a woman from leading prayer but it is forbidden in one of the hadiths, or sayings, attributed to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
Women have occasionally led prayers in mosques in America, Canada and South Africa. Many Sunni scholars have no problem with women leading women-only congregations but that has never been official practice in Britain.
Mr Mughal said that discussion of women’s faith leadership was slowly starting to take place among British Muslim leaders. “There are social discussions that are looking at the role of women’s leadership within pastoral care and even within prayer,” he said. “There are imamahs who are regarded as learned scholars in Islamic jurisprudence and within the Holy Koran and the hadith and they can be a resource for women looking for information on religious matters.
“They are a vital source of information for some women within mosques and their role is being established in mosques.” Mr Mughal added: “There is no verse in the Koran that prevents a woman from leading prayer. This is important since in Islam that which is forbidden is referred to in the Koran.”
He argued that women could also lead men in prayer. “The best example is that a woman can today lead prayer in her own household if she is the most learned and this means that her husband would in effect follow her in prayer.
“I have done this many times when my mother has led prayer. There is also the issue when men have been killed like in Bosnia and when women provided the leadership and provided much needed pastoral and spiritual care.”
Case study ‘Female side is stronger now’
Hafizah Khan is one of the few Muslim woman chaplains in Britain.
She works on the female side at Peterborough private prison having studied on the only government-accredited Muslim chaplaincy course.
She does not wear full Islamic dress to work, just trousers and a headscarf. “I am not an imam,” she said, although she acknowledged that women in the prison refer to her as “imamah”.
Ms Khan previously worked in education welfare. “I was interested in what was happening behind the bars, especially for Muslims. Another imam who was an ex-colleague of mine was leading prayers at Peterborough. He asked me if I was interested.”
She added: “I believe there will be female imams. The female side of Islam in Britain has become stronger.”
However, resistance from traditionalists means that although women may lead other women, it could be decades before they lead mixed congregations.
The number of female Islamic scholars, or alimahs, is soaring. Until recently there were very few. Now there are five seminaries for women against two for men. Hundreds of women are now qualified to advise and counsel both men and women in Islam.
Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, a conflict resolution organisation funded by the Government and private benefactors, told that Muslims were discussing an enhanced role for women.
Some women Muslims already lead women in prayers at home or in special settings such as women’s prisons. Their “congregations” refer to them as imamahs.
Faith Matters is preparing next month to publish a survey into 500 mosques in England with a league table of women-friendly mosques as part of the Government’s “developing diversity” programme. There are 50 “five star” and 50 “four star” mosques with good prayer space for women, washing facilities and women in leadership and advisory roles.
Men and women are segregated in prayer in Islam because men are considered the weaker sex and unable to avoid distraction.
In the survey, Mr Mughal says: “At the root of Islamic history is the fact that women have played a key role in Islamic development.” He said the comfort and advice Mohammed’s wife Khadijah gave him helped him to overcome “turbulent” times.
Nothing in the Koran prohibits a woman from leading prayer but it is forbidden in one of the hadiths, or sayings, attributed to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).
Women have occasionally led prayers in mosques in America, Canada and South Africa. Many Sunni scholars have no problem with women leading women-only congregations but that has never been official practice in Britain.
Mr Mughal said that discussion of women’s faith leadership was slowly starting to take place among British Muslim leaders. “There are social discussions that are looking at the role of women’s leadership within pastoral care and even within prayer,” he said. “There are imamahs who are regarded as learned scholars in Islamic jurisprudence and within the Holy Koran and the hadith and they can be a resource for women looking for information on religious matters.
“They are a vital source of information for some women within mosques and their role is being established in mosques.” Mr Mughal added: “There is no verse in the Koran that prevents a woman from leading prayer. This is important since in Islam that which is forbidden is referred to in the Koran.”
He argued that women could also lead men in prayer. “The best example is that a woman can today lead prayer in her own household if she is the most learned and this means that her husband would in effect follow her in prayer.
“I have done this many times when my mother has led prayer. There is also the issue when men have been killed like in Bosnia and when women provided the leadership and provided much needed pastoral and spiritual care.”
Case study ‘Female side is stronger now’
Hafizah Khan is one of the few Muslim woman chaplains in Britain.
She works on the female side at Peterborough private prison having studied on the only government-accredited Muslim chaplaincy course.
She does not wear full Islamic dress to work, just trousers and a headscarf. “I am not an imam,” she said, although she acknowledged that women in the prison refer to her as “imamah”.
Ms Khan previously worked in education welfare. “I was interested in what was happening behind the bars, especially for Muslims. Another imam who was an ex-colleague of mine was leading prayers at Peterborough. He asked me if I was interested.”
She added: “I believe there will be female imams. The female side of Islam in Britain has become stronger.”