Muslim Male Privilege Checklist

[chubacka]

Originally posted by Brofessor_Geeljire:

Norf, have u ever heard of these dudes? they fit Johnnys description:

 

You Males justifiably extrapolate from your preceptiveness to the deeply burried wish of having a wiggling female body co-praying, instead of staring on the Wall.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44_GTueMm4

wot a complete farce

[Ibtisam]

HAHAHA At the women leading the prayer.

 

Damn Americans, such nutters :eek: Lol.

[Johnny B]

Borfessore,

My Quran teacher was from "Somali gelbeed", but becouse we'd Atheer Jama( from Hargeisa ) and Atheer M.Nur from (Mogadishu)vissiting often, i was advised by atheer Jama to give the teacher's daughter xtra Svenska to skip ' karbash'

[unknown1]

så hur mår du kompis?

[Blessed]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

^^ If ignorance were an Olympic sport, you would win the gold medal and then get disqualified for using performance-enhancing drugs.

 

Ashkiro,

 

You have not provided a link to the source of this article, saaxib.

Is it written by a neurotic and bitter woman or a far-sighted and very perceptive man?

The first part of your post is a gem, Ayeeyo. But, you can't be serious on the second!?. I've read the source blog (jamerican muslimah) a few times and the sister is neither bitter nor neurotic. She's certainly not advocating for women leading prayers or any of that 'take away Islam' rubbish.

 

She hapepens to access mosques run by people like your neighbours in London. Those who maintain that either women shouldn't be allowed in the Mosque or they're made to pray next to the shoe rack. Shaikhs who are men first, Muslim second. It's a sad reality that exists in many western masjids.

 

My experiences in the ME have been pretty pleasant to date.

[Kool_Kat]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

^^ If ignorance were an Olympic sport, you would win the gold medal and then get disqualified for using performance-enhancing drugs.

Priceless!!! Just PRICELESS!!!

[Sir-Qalbi-Adeyg]

This must be the ramblings of a bitter feminist.

[Miriam1]

Oh..how true!

 

Its not about Islam folks...she isnt critising our religion, but as usual the silly followers who distort it so efficiently to fit their sexist agendas.

 

Ouh I was invited to attend that prayer...its in Toronto by the way not the United States...I didn't even know what to think of it at the time, seemed to be such an unnecessary first in the record books.

 

Who knows, the organizers could have felt that this is one way to get attention on how women's insight is lacking in masjid management within the city

[Ashkiro]

^Exactly.

 

About the organizers in Toronto or the similar one lead by Amina Wadud in NY, it's unfortunate in my view.It is one thing to strive for change in the hopes of transforming our communities for the better, by breaking down the barriers and the double standards that exist within this ummah, a whole another ball game in taking these steps outside of the framework of the Sunnah. Now, it maybe argued that the steps taken by the organizers are within the framework of the Sunnah, but there is just not enough evidence to support that claim. Change has to be sought but it’s vital to stay within the framework of the Sunnah.

 

@Blessed, I have been to UAE myself and personally saw no difference between the masjids I’ve been to and some of their counterparts in the West, the only difference in this case was the walls were a lot thicker and strangely enough the vast majority of female attendees were Somali Women. However, it just may have been my experience since I was there for a brief time and visited two masjids within the same vicinity. The source of this brilliant write-up is Jamerican Muslimah, and hbelow is a more lively discussion on her blog, although too much focus on the masjid than I would have liked. Blessed you may have come across her entry on Somalis in the Twin Cities, if you haven’t it’s an interesting one, rather generalizing but nonetheless interesting.

 

http://jamericanmuslimah.wordpress.com/2008/04/06/muslim-male-privilege-checklist/

[Sir-Qalbi-Adeyg]

Didn't the prophet say that the place for a woman to pray is the privacy of her home, while it's obligation for men to pray at the mosque hence the reason why majority of the space in the mosque is for men.

[Ashkiro]

^^I thought this was ramblings of a "bitter feminist", why concern yourself with the topic yet once again? Beats me. To your above post, Username, that is your interpretation. The masjid is the heart of the Muslim Community it has been in the time of the Prophet scw and it should for all Muslim generations afterwards. Space is not the issue here, since more space can always be provided. But rather due to these interpretations, the deliberate attempt to limit or even erase the presence of half of the community mind you in the House of God, that my friend is the issue at hand. For further more detailed information, you may want to view this youtube video about the issue. Hope you gain insight from it, if that is possible at all.

 

[Sir-Qalbi-Adeyg]

Are you saying the prophet did not say it's 'better' for a woman to pray at the privacy of her home? I didn't interpret anything, and I'm far from qualified to interpret hadiths.

[True2truth]

Originally posted by Ashkiro:

Brilliant. I found this from a blog.

 

 

As a Muslim man:

 

1. I can set foot in any masjid I like. No one will stop me at the door and tell me that I am not allowed in the masjid.

 

2. When I attend Jumah prayer I know that I will have full access to the main prayer hall. I can enter through the front door and I am not required to sit behind a partition, one-way mirror or placed in a separate room. Also, I can see and hear the Imam when he is giving the kutbah (sermon). I do not have to worry about a speaker or closed-circuit system malfunctioning thereby preventing me from hearing the kutbah or seeing the Imam.

 

3. My voice is not interpreted as being a part of my awrah (parts of the body that are not meant to be exposed in public.) I can stand up and speak freely in an Islamic gathering. I can ask questions or challenge statements made by the imam or visiting speaker without worrying that my actions will be viewed as inappropriate. I am not told that I must write any questions I have onto a piece of paper.

 

4. I can use my position as a sheikh, scholar or imam to perpetuate my own sexist, misogynistic beliefs as long as I incorporate those beliefs into my interpretation of the Quran and the Sunnah. When others challenge me about my beliefs I can use my Islamic education, command of the Arabic language and position in the community to effectively silence them. If the dissenters are women, I can always make them seem crazy, emotional or neurotic. I can also accuse them of being influenced by the West, Western secularism, Feminism or “the Kufaar.”

 

5. If I do not dress in accordance with Islamic guidelines, for the most part, I am left alone by Muslims of both genders. Few people will approach me and inquire about the way in which I am dressed. I will not be written off as a “bad Muslim” nor will my dress code be used as an excuse to prevent me from attending the masjid or other Islamic functions.

 

6. Interpretations of Quran and Ahadith, fatwas, kutbahs, and Islamic books are often biased in favor of my gender. The body of scholarship produced by members of my gender is available and accessible to all. Their texts, legal opinions and names have not been ignored or virtually erased from Islamic history.

 

7. When I read a book about marriage, my rights and responsibilities or gender dynamics in Islam, the author is almost always the same gender as me. It is the same when I wish to contact a scholar in regards to any questions I might have.

 

8. If I have problems in my marriage I can go to an Imam for counseling services and I don’t have to be concerned about sexism or his “traditional” views of women.

 

9. If I become visibly upset during a marriage counseling session, I am not told that I am too emotional and therefore incapable of thinking logically or making major decisions about my marriage. On the contrary, any decisions I make are presumed to be well thought-out.

 

10. If I wish to end my marriage, my decision is not scrutinized by an imam or other members of the Muslim community. It is respected as the final one. I am not denied a divorce or told to make tremendous personal sacrifices in order to remain in the marriage.

 

11. When I convert to Islam, if I have the means (or the financial support of others), I can travel aboard to predominately Muslim countries in order to seek Islamic knowledge. I can be sure that my gender will not be a hindrance any way. At the same time, no one will ever tell me that I must wait until I am married in order to begin my travels.

 

12. I can stand up for the rights Allah has given me or challenge interpretations of those rights without people associating me with secularist Muslim movements.

 

13. If I cannot have children or suffer from a condition that interferes with my ability to have sexual intercourse I do not have to worry about my wife taking a second husband. Even if/when she decides to divorce me I can be sure that an imam or other community members will ask her to reconsider her decision.

 

14. If I am struggling with the temptation to fornicate, I know that I can discuss my predicament with an Imam or other Muslim men without fear that they will think I’m lewd or promiscuous.

 

15. I am not a visible representative of Islam. When I interact with non-Muslim colleagues, co-workers and members of the general public they may not necessarily know that I am a Muslim. Unless I make my religion/ethnicity known, I am not subjected to a barrage of questions about Islam, Muslims and my gender’s status in the religion. (The exception here would be Muslim men who don a thobe, turban, and wear a lengthy beard. Also, brothers who clearly appear to be Indian/Pakistani or Arab in the eyes of the public).

 

16. When a visiting scholar/imam comes to the masjid, by virtue of the seating arrangements (men in the front, no partition between the speaker and the men), I am able to speak with him face-to-face. I do not have to worry about crossing into “the women’s space” in order to ask a question or to make a comment.

Powerful list, One would think after stating or making up such list, one would be a willing activist and in the mist of changing some the thing on this list but instead the lady is situated in her air-conditioned space and crying/typing it away. Words hold power when it’s backed with action, She is really not doing any justice to subject.

[Blessed]

Ashkiro ,

 

I totally agree with your thoughts on Amina Wuduud and gang. The women outright rejects ahadith and turns around and uses a dodgey, weak, vague hadith to pull this stunt. Subhan Allah.

 

 

I know the Mosque your talking about, that area is pretty run down and those Mosques only serve the purpose of providing prayer space for the shoppers. In residential areas, Masjids are pretty much a community center, providing Quraan classes for both men and women. There's also equal access for both. Even in those ru down Mosques that you've visited. I've never been turned away from a Masjid in the ME and I've lived in a few countries here but have been on several occasions in London.

 

I do realise that it's unfair to compare Mosques in the Muslim world to those in the West as the former are government funded and maintained and so aren't cash strapped.

 

However, I do find that there's a difference in attitude (esp. in some that are run by a specific ethnic group), many in the west use the excuse that Username came out with. That women should pray at home. End of.

 

Even if that is the recommendation (and I see the exemption as privilege, personally) , it was the Prophet (saw) sunnah to lead women in prayer in his masjid, to provide circles for them in the Masjid and to deal with their religious / worldly concerns in the Masjid. That is the purpose of the Masjid.

 

Moving away from the Masjid.. The other points raised by the sister can be resolved by balancing Islamic scholarship. The early Muslim communities had as many female scholars as men, the women were outspoken, active in dawah and the community. We're really as much to blame as the men.

 

P.s only read one of her posts on the Somali V BAM posts. Interesting.

[Johnny B]

A: The prophet says, It's 'better' for a woman to pray at the privacy of her home.

 

B: it was the Prophet (saw) sunnah to lead women in prayer in his masjid, to provide circles for them in the Masjid and to deal with their religious / worldly concerns in the Masjid. That is the purpose of the Masjid.

 

I've difficulties reconciling A nd B.