Islam begins Americanizing

[link|http://www.masnet.org/articleinterest.asp?id=1446|Muslim American Society]

Since that incident last November, Mrs. Aboobaker prays only at home, shunning the segregated mosque. But she is not the only Muslim woman who is beginning to bridle at the men's club culture of many American mosques. Gradually and with mixed success, a small number of Muslim women are challenging the lack of inclusion of women in worship and communal life. In Morgantown, W. Va.; Prince George's County, Md., and the San Francisco Bay Area, women have pushed to remove partitions or walls - or simply the rules - that prevent women worshipers from seeing or hearing the imam.

Another group of women led by a social worker in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is about to introduce a guide to making mosques more "sister friendly,'' proposing such measures as creating prayer space that does not exclude women, allowing women access to lectures, bulletin boards and donation boxes, and providing child care during mosque events.

Though they include college students and grandmothers, they represent a new generation of Muslim women raised and educated in North America. They include immigrants and the descendents of immigrants from the Middle East, South Asia and elsewhere, as well as African-American and Anglo converts to the faith. Some of the younger women in their 20's and 30's, and their male supporters, identify themselves as "progressive Muslims" - a loose but growing network of activists and writers linked by books, Web sites and Listservs.

Just a fitfull start at this point. But Muslim women that grew up in the US are starting to work to change their religion rather then leave it. It will take a while to see how this pans out.

This is important becuase one of the best solutions for Islamic fundamentalism in the long run is for a more modern Islamic faith to develop here and be exported back to the middle east. That is a solution aiming at several generations from now, but it is a real and viable one.

On another level, I find it somewhat amusing that the US is corrupting Islam just as effectivly as it hit the other religions.

Jay

Post #165,633 by JayMehaffey 7/22/04 3:59:00 PM Reply	Islam begins Americanizing [link\|http://www.masnet.org/articleinterest.asp?id=1446\|Muslim American Society] Since that incident last November, Mrs. Aboobaker prays only at home, shunning the segregated mosque. But she is not the only Muslim woman who is beginning to bridle at the men's club culture of many American mosques. Gradually and with mixed success, a small number of Muslim women are challenging the lack of inclusion of women in worship and communal life. In Morgantown, W. Va.; Prince George's County, Md., and the San Francisco Bay Area, women have pushed to remove partitions or walls - or simply the rules - that prevent women worshipers from seeing or hearing the imam. Another group of women led by a social worker in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is about to introduce a guide to making mosques more "sister friendly,'' proposing such measures as creating prayer space that does not exclude women, allowing women access to lectures, bulletin boards and donation boxes, and providing child care during mosque events. Though they include college students and grandmothers, they represent a new generation of Muslim women raised and educated in North America. They include immigrants and the descendents of immigrants from the Middle East, South Asia and elsewhere, as well as African-American and Anglo converts to the faith. Some of the younger women in their 20's and 30's, and their male supporters, identify themselves as "progressive Muslims" - a loose but growing network of activists and writers linked by books, Web sites and Listservs. Just a fitfull start at this point. But Muslim women that grew up in the US are starting to work to change their religion rather then leave it. It will take a while to see how this pans out. This is important becuase one of the best solutions for Islamic fundamentalism in the long run is for a more modern Islamic faith to develop here and be exported back to the middle east. That is a solution aiming at several generations from now, but it is a real and viable one. On another level, I find it somewhat amusing that the US is corrupting Islam just as effectivly as it hit the other religions. Jay
Post #165,640 by Andrew Grygus 7/22/04 4:47:58 PM Reply	I don't know if they're leaving Islam or not . . . . but Near Eastern women here in Los Angeles are reputed to be causing major problem for their menfolk. A man will try as hard as he can to keep his wife isolated in the home, but pretty soon she learns American ways anyway and becomes "disobedient". The man's only resort then is to divorce her and fly back home and get a new wife, then try to keep her isoleated. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #165,657 by danreck 7/22/04 6:25:59 PM Reply	I'm reminded of an old Eddy Murphy routine... in "Delirious" I think... His goal in life is to find a Ubangi bride, buck naked on a horse, etc... He brings her to America and before too long she's saying, "Eddie, I want half"... Just a few thoughts, Danno
Post #165,676 by Meerkat 7/22/04 9:38:51 PM Reply	LRPD says: He makes Murphy look like a babbling optimist. Two out of three people wonder where the other one is.

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