Wetina M. Grice-Ford
Islamic
Mosques: Can Muslim Women Find Spiritual Solitude in Sexually
Segregated Mosques?
Wetina M. Grice-Ford
May 10, 2003
On Jan 31, 2003, while inside Mas-jid Al Faatir*, in Newark, NJ, I
discovered that during Islamic worship, Muslim women are separated from the
men during
Islamic prayers. Not only are these women separated, they are surrounded
by elements that can promote gloom, depression and mental imbalance.
How do women achieve a positive spiritual experience when they are surrounded
by social and religious conformities that are not conducive to the
religious sanctity that Islam embodies? What does sexual segregation
have to do with offering salat? Why do women in this particular congregation
have to pray in an environment that is more socially inept than
spiritually enriching? How can these women change their current situation
within Mas-jid Al Faatir*?
Inside Al- Faatir
Established in 1985, Mas-jid Al-Fatir* was created to accommodate
the budding, African-American, orthodox Islamic
community in Newark, NJ. The Mas-jid itself
is small; located on a busy street that
is infested with drugs and crime. Once disguised as a storefront,
the
exterior is
sand blasted
white, with decorative green trimming
stylized to look like
the curvy Moroccan archways found on the famous Taj
-Mahal. There are huge gold letters that hover over the archway
inscribed, “Al-Faatir***” followed
by Arabic writing. When I asked the
attending Imam what the Arabic sinage translated into,
he replied sternly, “Peace
be upon you.”Inside the Mosque,
there was a small area where attendees
placed their
shoes. In some mosques and Mas-jids,
it is custom to remove
your shoes for religious purposes. The
interior looked similar to a gymnasium,
with highly
polished
wooden
floors that peeked from
under a huge
red and green
Indian print rug.
There weren't
many windows, but there was overhead
light that illuminated the glossy, wet-looking
floors. Proceeding
further inside,
little tables were set
up for anyone those
who wanted to sell merchandise. You could
find Islamic books, dolls, rugs, incense,
bean pies,
hats, socks
and homemade
jewelry. It was
reminiscent
of the New York street fairs on a sunny
afternoon,
where street vendors overcrowd the sidewalks,
sitting eagerly,
waiting for you to ask,
how much? Looking for a place to sit, a
young man immediatelyushered the ladies
to proceed
to the basement, where the women meet
to pray.
As
I began to question
the young lady in front, she explained
that men and women were not allowed
to pray in
the same areas, for fear that they
will be sexually enticed
by the postulating, which could lead
them to lose the focus of their prayer.
This comment suggested to me that
Muslim men
are sexual crazed beasts that only
see women as objects of desire. But overall, I was insulted by the fact
that these men were indirectly telling
the
women that their place within Islam
was beneath them, that they can share
the
same bed, carry their children
for nine months and maintain their
households but they were not allowed
to collectively
participate in the one thing that
is supposed to
hold their families together, prayer.
Finding the excuse asinine, I
continued down
the
stairs, hoping to find a
place similar to the one that I was leaving, unfortunately
this was not the case.
As
I entered the basement, there was a putrid odor that encapsulated the
room
and made most of the sisters
cover
their mouths.
Overall the room appeared
gloomy. The
walls were covered by
pink paint that desperately needed refreshing. Sans windows,
there was no natural light entering the room, which made it dark
and gloomy.
There was only
a small
overhead
light that suspended
from the
water stained, particle board
ceilings. In the corner of the room, there
was a drab couch that was
covered with deep green corduroy fabric, where a sister
was changing her child’s
diaper, revealing the
putrid odor that met
us at the door. In the
center of
the room there
was an eight
by ten green
oriental rug that was
occupied by approximately
ten sisters
who were
preparing themselves
to offer salat.
I looked
around to see if I could
find a place
to sit, but there was
no place that could be
occupied
without
huddling
next to
someone else.When
I looked at these women
they seemed to be just
starting
their prayers without
any awareness of what
they were
being exposed to.
They
began to bow, kneel and
chant in unison. Focusing
on prayer was very
complicated,
while I was on my knees,
I desperately yearned
to understand what the
man -vs- woman segregation
had
to do with true
Islam. And if separation
was mandatory, then why
weren't the
women in this Mas-jid
exposed to the same clean
and
luminous environments as the men.
Transcendence
Does
a person really have the ability to spiritually transcend
his or her environment
no matter what the conditions? Does
having a transcendental experience mean going
beyond the superficial and intangible? Scientists, Psychiatrists and
Psychologists
have been researching and debating for years how one experiences
transcendence.
In layman’s terms the
definition of transcendence is as follows:
Transcend –beyond;
to surpass (American Heritage). To define
transcendence and how one achieves
it on a
personal level is difficult. There are hundreds
of theories that suggest spiritual transcendence
has
to do with the
paranormal world. Karen Sturdivant
a former psychologist at Rutgers University
suggests that, “transcendence
goes beyond all physical activities. It is
a part of the spiritual psyche that
allows you
to escape
the body
in sort of a mystical realm of the unknown
...transcendence is a large part
of the human imagination which
can be achieved through any circumstance
if one is willing to mentally concentrate
on his
or her spiritual objective" (Sturdivant
2003).
Trying to find spiritual peace amongst
the religious
politics
in Islam is a very complicated thing to do.
On one hand Islam is
a very beautiful
and
spiritually
conscious religion, it offers peace,
balance and discipline within a world that
can be
mentally and
physically overwhelming. However
some Muslims use Islam as a tool
to enforce antiquated idealisms and
Islamic laws. Such as in the
Middle
East, where Muslim men use islam
as a way of deciphering right from wrong
that curbs women’s
liberation and self -sufficiency.
Although, western culture is
less militant, there are still
lingering
signs of
the same
sexual prejudices
and restrictions against
American Muslim women
as there are in Middle
Eastern cultures but debating
whether or
not some American Muslims
practice sexism
or other forms of discrimination
would
be exhausting. Attacking
Islam and its culture would not
be very beneficial.
To revert back
to the thesis,
how do women experience
peace and solace
in
an atmosphere that is unappealing?
Islam’s
Beauty
Islam itself is a rich culture of art and beauty. From the melodious
Arabic chanting during the call of the Adhan, to
the astounding, and ornately crafted
Mosques, Muslims have contributed their craftsmanship,
as well as their intellectual creativity to society. In
a passage from, Islamic Spirituality: Foundations,
Timothy Burckhardt describes
the
spirituality
of
Islamic
art. “The
art of Islam without a doubt is a contemplative
art…it expresses above all a state of the
soul that is open toward the interior, toward
an encounter with the divine presence”,
the author goes on to say, “the
essence of art is beauty…It attaches itself
to the appearances of things and at the same
time rejoins in its qualitive limitlessness the
divine being itself…It
is like a bridge that goes from the tangible
world toward God” (Burkhardt) .
The
art of
Islam
itself
transports
you
into
a spiritual world
that goes
beyond
explanation.
To understand that the essence of art is beauty
and my belief in agreement with Burckhardt, that
beauty
is a
part of the
exterior as well as the
interior. Your surroundings can contribute highly
to your mental state. Most houses
of worship are a place where you can escape,
a place that can transport
your mind to the other world. The main reasoning
for these beautifully crafted places lies within
the text that something beautiful
must be heavenly or godly, because
the
higher power,
if in material form, would be something indescribable
and mesmerizing. So being placed in a damp dark
basement seems to go against the grain
of what
true beauty is. It was a overall contrast
to the images that attracted me to the religion.
Finding Peace
Imagine trying to concentrate on an exam or important
assignment while fire trucks are passing
by your apartment annoyingly
blasting their sirens
or
imagine yourself sitting in a park while
enjoying the sound of the birds and the faint sound of children’s
laughter, when all of a sudden a group of young teenagers
come along blasting a loud radio, screaming obscenities
at one another. Even more in depth, imagine
meditating inside a room that has no fresh air, light or
sounds to stimulate your senses. It is as if you
were standing on a crowed rush hour train,
in the middle of the summer with no fresh air to cool you
off. I don’t
think most people could find peace
amongst these elements.
I took a survey of fifteen members
of Mas-jid Al-Faatir**, five
men and ten
women and asked them to describe, their
ideal praying environment. Fourteen of the participants stated that their
surroundings had to quiet, aesthetically pleasing, tranquil
and serene.
While one respondent , Sister Khadijah, stated, "It
doesn't’t
make a difference what my environment looks like, it’s like that
saying mind over matter. If you are being distracted by your environment
then you
need to remove yourself from it. Al-Faatir* does not have the money to
build some elaborate Mas-jid in the middle of an impoverished area. If
your sole
reason is to serve Allah, you will achieve the same result here as you
would in your living room, bedroom or the Turkish Blue Mosque.” Another
respondent, Sister Zakiyaah Bashir interrupted our conversation with
a difference
of
opinion, “ I feel that a person’s surroundings do affect
the way he or she sees the world. Mental health is the first thing that
needs
to be preserved in order to focus on Allah’s will. If you are trying
to pray and you hear a child screaming and crying, you may respect the
mother who is nurturing her child, but you also feel cheated out of your
prayer
session because you have to listen to a baby scream the entire time and
you couldn't fully concentrate. This Mas-jid needs an overhaul…no
not gold trimming, but it would be nice to see the woman’s area
receive a little TLC.”
When I had a one on one discussion with one of the men from Al-Faatir*, he explained that the women’s quarters were in need of revamping, but with limited funds, the room had to remain as it was for the time being. “ Sister I understand your worry, you feel as if the other sisters cannot concentrate on their prayers because of room itself, but I assure you that the majority of the women that attend services here achieve their spiritual goals”. When I debated the fact that women had to come down in the basement because of the visual distraction that they posed on the men and how it was unfair that women were exposed to visual distractions he commented, “A room is just a room that can be tuned out, flesh of a woman in a man’s viewpoint, cannot be tuned out, it’s not that easy to stay focused if you are having impure thoughts, men are more easily distracted” (Rasheed). I feel that this is a slipshod excuse that doesn’t support the actions of the men in Mas-jid Al Faatir. Women should be treated just as equally as the men are treated. The areas of prayer should be the same.
Solution
If
I were given the opportunity to revamp the women’s prayer
area at Mas-jid Al Faatir, I envision the following: When
walking into the area
I would like to smell an inviting aroma that would stimulate
my senses, such as fresh flowers or fragrant incense burning. I would
also
like to see
the
glow of an inexpensive ornate light fixture that would be
suspended over the current prayer rug. I would try to improve, on the
utilization
of
the floor area by offering adequate spacing that will allow the
women to pray
in a less huddled manner. To achieve this I would remove
the green couch so that every square inch of the floor is used effectively.
From there
I would repaint the walls into a soothing color that would be
appealing
to the eye. Also I would add overhead lighting that would
bounce off and
compliment
the soft colors on the walls. I would then add Islamic friendly
art
on the walls, such as stenciled Arabic writing in a contrasting
color or a make
shift mosaic plaque. For texture I would add green plants
that would safely
hang from the ceiling.
There would also be a separate area
where mothers can nuture their children.
A religious environment should offer a worshipper peace and serenity.
Women within Mas-jid Al Faatir experience their spiritual
solitude in many ways.
It does not solely depend on environment, but an aesthetically
pleasing environment does contribute to the overall attitude
a person may or may
not have within this environment. Yes while it is true certain
psychological phenomena contribute to transcendental experiences,
there has been
no evidence
that a person's surroundings can prevent this
experience. In my own opinion, I feel that
it is
very important
to surround
yourself in an environment that evokes positive enlightenment
as well as spiritual solace. As for women finding transcendence in
unappealing places,
as sister Khadijah commented in her interview, “It’s
simply mind over matter.”
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Interviews
Sister Khadijah Ali-Mas Jid Al-Faatir**
Sister Kalita Bashir- Mas-jid Al –Faatir*
Imam Abu Bakr Rasheed- Mas-jid Al-Faatir**
Sister Zakiyaah Bashir- Formerly Mas-jid Al Faatir*
*Name changed to protect identity
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