I was at IlmFest 2020 in London over the weekend and was struck when one of the speakers from America claimed he was surprised by the lack of female spaces in Mosques in the UK. Of course, ‘many’ accommodate to some degree, although a sorry comparison to the Men’s section in most cases, but nonetheless I was triggered. Triggered because when I travel around the UK looking for a Mosque close by, my worry is not how close or far it is or the opening times but whether it will have a space for me. This is normal protocol, but it shouldn’t be. London is better now, but it has taken time.
I’ve heard the audacious voices of ‘oh the ladies don’t need to come to the mosques, they can pray at home, they don’t even use the spaces’ well of course if they are not accommodated! Woman/Ladies/Girls are your homes, your mums, your sisters, your aunts, your children. How do family’s function when the hearts of the families lack in their spiritual connections?
Whilst searching for ‘my accessibility’ into these spaces I often search through google images to see what facilities there are, usually the outside of the mosque, the men’s prayer hall, a few more of the outside and let’s not forget their ‘newly renovated wudu area’ but hardly ever do I see an image of the ladies section. Why? What is the mystery? More importantly, where is the importance?
My tone stems from frustration, People need to fix up. I’ve been to countless ladies’ sections where; yes, there is space [substandard space] with no wudu or toilet facilities, in a basement or dodgy side-room, I seriously don’t understand. The bare minimum is provided to be able to say ‘yes, you have a space but of course you don’t need to make wudu or use the toilet, no no, that’s not in our budget or we don’t have the space for that’
Would the Prophet sws accept this? My sister was once turned away from a mosque at Maghib time [that had a ladies sections] because the caretaker said women are not permitted at this time and refused to open the door, HOW IS YOUR PRAYER MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT OF A WOMAN, [Exposure alert – it was Gants Hill Mosque]. She has not returned to that mosque since.
We need to make NOISE we need to take ACTION. In Turkey the women pray a few rows behind the men, no formal barriers or separate spaces, a Muslim country. In Makkah, the holiest site on earth, I prayed beside men, men everywhere, things are not black and white.
I have no chill for this dumbness.
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