Toward women-friendly mosques

The Islamic Social Services Association and Women in Islam have released a guide underlining a set of principles rooted in Islamic sources that outlines the rights of Muslim women to have full access to the mosque, and calling on Muslim leaders to privilege Islamic principles and values over cultural habits and traditions.
The guide is entitled “Women-Friendly Mosques and Community Centers: Working Together to Reclaim Our Heritage.” The guide is a serious attempt to deal with an issue that requires immediate attention by Muslim communities: the place of women in the mosque and the community. I personally faced the issue for the first time two decades ago when a Muslim Student Association board member objected to the inclusion of women in an executive meeting. He based his position on Islamic tradition, but his argument was found lacking by everyone else on the board. The meeting went on without him, but with the two sisters.
The point of view alluded to above has continued to be well-represented over the years within the Muslim community, particularly among immigrants who grew up in societies were women did not take an active role in social life and community development. The point of view that was hostile to the presence of women in the mosque gained more of a following in many Islamic centers throughout North America as the community grew more dependent on imams and scholars educated in universities that provide a narrow Islamic education.