So ever since I came to this country, I tried to attend mosques on Friday prayers every week but that went down to just once a month which went down to just on the two Eids in the year.
Everytime I go to a mosque, I get frustrated by the focus on the details of the process rather than the process itself. Are you wearing nailpolish or not? Are you covering your jeans-covered butt with a dupatta or not? Are you making sure you lower your eyes infront of the men or not eventhough these same men might check you out right when you step out of the mosque or you might be frank pals with one of them who you sit together, hi-five and chat with outside this "pretending galore".
I know of a number of women, myself inclusive, who are scared to go to the mosque, not of Allah (which is what should be the only concern) but of other people's judgmental looks, comments and sighs. It is so fully unfair because these people are taking our right away to go and pray in congregation in a mosque, that is a PUBLIC house of Allah.
When I go to a mosque, I only want to think of God and pray to him. I don't go to socialize or check anyone out. The other day, I went to a mosque in Brooklyn which had a horribly enclosed praying area for "sisters". I was fully covered and standing behind the men in this area but I really wanted to see the congregation and the calligraphy on the walls. It made me feel more in the "zone". Whilst I offered some extra prayers, this oh-so-caring gentleman thought he would do a good deed by drawing the curtains and shunning me back into the lonely ugly four walled room. I said "I am fine." but either he ignored or he just did not hear. I steamed and drew the curtains again. But by this time, I was pissed off and scared that someone else would do the same thing again and I would blast them. Point: My whole focus shifted from praying to defending!
For what? Women don't have to be in a separate room BEHIND the men, CURTAINED off...they just have to be behind the men..either these men don't know this or they are more focused in sending me to heaven than themselves.
Super disgusted...I don't want to give up but I feel that mosques are turning Muslims away...why can't they focus on the prayer/worship aspect and be a little easier on process. I know of Muslim women who have gone to a church or mandir instead to appease the want of congregational prayer. They feel more accepted their rather than in their own Islamic halls of prayer..how sad...
I wish people would radically change their behavior and make Islam more "welcoming" like it should be rather than "strict, harsh and intolerant"...kind of like people who think if they lead boring strict lives and don't laugh, they are on an accelerated path to heaven...
Also, this "Islamic Cultural Center of NY" which is so well-advertised that it is on the tiny NYC maps alongside all the amazing museums of NY is nothing but a simple mosque. Now, whoever would read "cultural center" and whoever put this in NYC, that is recently even more sensitive to Islam and Muslims, should have used this opportunity to educate and present to people. I bet you a lot of tourists and interested parties go to this facility and are turned off by Muslims. Not well kept, no reading materials, historical facts or a display in this "cultural center". Oh please, just call it a mosque if you cannot live up to the fancy title. Don't raise people's expectations and then crush them...don't waste an opportunity of doing some extra good for your faith and for the people who follow your faith...
And yeah, mosques are not only made for MEN, they are made for MUSLIMS, which shockingly includes women as well!
