Opinion: Does The Exclusion of Women in Masjid Reflect Islamic Values?

One experience that Muslim women globally share is the feeling of displacement, which is shown in the women's spaces in mosques and the overall treatment of Muslim women.

As a man, you can walk into any mosque without even considering whether you are allowed to pray there. For women, it is a very different experience. There is almost a checklist that you must go through to even pray comfortably and safely.

First, you must check if they even allow women in. It’s a strange question to have to ask, checking if a masjid caters to all Muslims. Once you find a mosque that provides space for women, you must then determine if it’s actually women-friendly. There are many stories of women being turned away, even when a women’s space is available.

Then, you have to go on a hunt once you're in. Women’s areas are often located through side entrances, back entrances, basements, or hard-to-reach balconies. Since mosques are generally designed with the men’s space as the focal point, women are often given the leftover spaces, no matter how difficult or isolated they may be to reach.

For women with disabilities, the question of accessibility becomes crucial. Can they even get to the women’s space?

For mothers, they must consider whether the space is kid-friendly. As if allowing women into mosques is already a stretch, some mosques seem to have the belief that children should not be allowed. This primarily affects women, as it is predominately women who bring children to the mosque. In some cases, even if children are allowed, they are not permitted to pray in the main women’s area. Instead, some mosques create separate, more isolated spaces for mothers with children, such as Regent’s mosque.

Unfortunately, the issues do not stop there. You must also consider whether the women’s spaces are even clean enough to pray in, as maintenance is often neglected or ignored in these sections.

After overcoming all of these obstacles, you settle down to pray, but you can’t help but notice the stark differences in the spaces. The men’s space is always the main area of the masjid, larger and often better equipped than the women’s area. This reflects the mindset of male superiority that plagues our community. The men’s space may have better air conditioning and fancy chandeliers, while women are left with cheap fans and simple light fittings.

It’s hard to ignore the inequality as you prepare to pray. You came to the masjid to strengthen your faith, only to be shown that this space isn’t meant for you. The masjid, the one place where you feel welcome and at peace as a Muslim, stands as a painful reminder that you are not valued because you are not a man.

Is There Hope for Change in Mosques?

Being a Muslim woman can often feel like a tiring struggle, a jihad where you are attacked from all sides. It can feel hopeless at times, and you may even contemplate leaving the faith. It can feel like you can’t exist in the Islamic spaces and you may be anxious of taking up space.

But find peace in knowing that women are speaking up and fighting for their rightful place. Understand that you are not alone in feeling this way, and know in your heart that, no matter what anyone says, the house of Allah is yours.

Lack of Personal Connection to Mosques

As a child, I remember questioning why the spaces were so different between the men and women. I often found myself longing to pray in the men’s space. I would peer over the balcony, imagining being sitting and praying with the men. This is something that hasn’t changed over time. Even now, I still find myself peering down, remembering the same feelings I had when I was nine.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more confident in speaking up. I have an overwhelming desire to act and push forward change. The only way I can think of to do this is by speaking out. My mother stopped going to the masjid, and so have my sisters. They’ve given up on the difficulties that come with attending the masjid. I fear I have started to lose enthusiasm. I find myself no longer excited to go but still longing for the masjid.

I often dream of a women-only mosque, named after Umm Mihijan, a woman who took great care in looking after the masjid, cleaning it whenever she could. The love she had for the house of Allah is something I fear losing. I would love to see one named after her- as she treated the mosque as if it were her home, a feeling we should all have toward these spaces, we should feel at home.