Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

Excuse you. How can you tell me that's BS? Do you live in the UK?

Do you know a mufti who gave up his home to build a mosque because the local Pakistanis were too tight to donate enough? And when he passed away, the local community didn't even have it in them to help out his wife and daughter who gave the daily lessons for children in the mosque.

My dad is on the board of our local mosque. I know the severe problems they have with with trying to raise money and the council. We have a woman's section, albeit small as the place is small and it's taking years to get planning permission to build another floor. The local residents are completely opposed, they didn't even want a mosque there in the first place. And this mosque was set up and run by a man who was the Councillor for the borough, he did plenty of stuff and still does for the much larger non-muslim community.

A lot of places don't have separate entrances or separate washing facilities and there is not a lot they can do if they don't have the money or permission to get them installed.
And blah blah it might not be a problem for you but you need to acknowledge that a lot of Pakistani muslims are very traditional and would expect separation.

There are mosques that a get a lot more help from the govn. and they are not sunni mosques.

Like I said, there were more issues. WATCH THE PROGRAM BEFORE COMMENTING. But no, it's much easier to make up your own story and get your knickers in a twist.

And like I also said, EGG ISSUE ASIDE, I did not justify it. Get off your high horse.

I will friend....I am there as tourist after the grand AWARD NIGHT at Los Angeles. From Chicago I move to MEMPHIS to visit Graceland--Elvis Home I resolved to visit when I saw his movie G.I.BLUES in 1960.
It will be great to catch up with you and (if there are..) other GS members in Chicago.


Raju Bhai

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

There are wealthy Muslims who can donate and even middle class people can do better to donate in the UK. Why should the government help you anyway? It's not the state's business to build places of worship especially for immigrants.

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

And as for not enough space for wudup, etc. All that is silly. If the construction or building rennovation was poorly planned in the first place, then of course one gender has to be left out. Try involving real engineers and architects when building masjids. Not every masjid has the right people involved in building it. If you don't specialize in construction, then better for you to help in other ways.

We have had plenty of mosque failures around here. The ones that succeeded had the right people on board. Day one in planning of the mosque you need to plan for space for females. If the building isn't designed for that, then you find another space in the city to rennovate that does have 2 separate restrooms (if you're rennovating)

plenty of mosques do it right and some just don't make it a priority.

At my mosque they announced plans of rennovation and I had to email them asking where they're going to put all of us women? It was clear they hadn't even thought about it.

Yes they can do better but they don't. I live in an area where the houses are very expensive and most muslim children attend private or grammar schools. That just goes to show the level of stinginess.

I never said the government should help but they do help other faiths and non sunni muslim groups.

England has not divorced state from religion yet.

Anyway, there is no point talking to someone who doesn't live here and doesn't know any facts and makes opinions based on conjecture.

Again, you're talking about only what you know. You can't just build places willy nilly here. Most smaller mosques are buildings bought by individuals or small groups and converted as there is no alternative. Just raising the few hundred thousand to buy the place is a lot of work. And just the process of conversion to a public space is a big headache. For a long time they are just used as-is until they can do all the work that is required.

And you're talking engineers and architects.

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

Th problems are similar everywhere. They discourage girls showing up for jammat at our work place because they are cramped already. Meanwhile. There are ballroom sized rooms they could book instead on campus except koi aqalmand doesn't do it because it's easier to tell the girls to get lost.

We have kanjoos Muslims here too. No one donates but then everyone wants to buy BMW's. Same issues. So we hold galas where the fashionistas can show off and that money goes to build mosques. You have to play on people's weaknesses.

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

I'm talking about converting preexiating spaces as well. Building an additional bathroom in a given building is not that hard. It can be done. People add bathrooms and rooms to buildings all the time.

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

Arjay why are you going to investigate anyway? You do know there are mosques in Pakistan that also do not allow in women. In Karachi, only recently there has been a push for female participation. In the 80's some of the Karachi mosques did not allow women. Why not investigate in your own country first?

A couple of mosques are in basements of desi restaurants , they are there because owners of those restaurants chose to do so. So those places are not run by donation. They did not make arrangement for women, because they think that these Majids are not family friendly. On Devon women have many choices where they can go and pray in peace. And they are all within a few minutes of walk or drive.
There is no need to insist to those restaurant owner to make arrangements for women to pray. Those restaurants are more of dhaba anyways .

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

I doubt that was the particular masjid my friend was trying to attend for prayer that evening. She said it was the main mosque in the Devon street area.

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

some masijd are really small or in basement only for men namaz at devon thy don,t allow women, but jamah masjid at devon is really big thy have seperate bathroom and space for women, so plz don,t make this a big issues,

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

that's beacuse God Hates Women.

My wife, my sisters, my bhabis and quite a few of my friend's wives...regularly offer their prayers at Seaview, Phase-II Defence and Boating Basin-Clifton masjids on Fridays and almost daily during Ramadhan.


Pakistan...I am sure...is or WAS...YOUR country also !


BTW--did I say anything about INVESTIGATION????

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

I prefer women praying at home especially my mom and sister.

Not that I am sexist or anything.

Its just that in our society and community, men especially tend to stare and oogle at women.

And women think its a good time to do their gossip, etc....

I only go to Mosques for Friday Prayers and even then I go to a Turkish Mosque and try to avoid Desi Mosques at all costs.

From the Uncles who don't know how to Park and then getting into huge arguments, to the kids running around while people are praying, to other people failing to turn off their cell phones, to the aunties gossiping, and to the inquisitive uncles asking me when will I get married, etc....

Its just too much.

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

They should be warned not to stare and perv at women as tho it's something normal, I remember at my local mosque years and years ago the imam decided that the way to deal with it was to tell the women not to wear any makeup (not that it made a difference), absolutely no blame was placed on the guys.. Regarding the space issue yes, some 'mosques' are little spaces downstairs in restaurants etc but really how many women would actually be asking to pray there anyway?? Talking about an average town mosque (of which most would have room for women to pray and a tiny area that could be set aside for wudu or at the very least could allow women to use the washroom at seperate times), they're often converted churches and do have extra rooms for study etc., the truth is just like some mosques 'back home' the men don't want women there, regardless of them having that basic right, it isn't even for them to decide if women should be 'allowed' when the rules are already clear. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said, 'Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from going to the mosque of Allah.' [Sahih Muslim Vol.1 Chapter 177 Hadith No.886] And husbands were specifically told by him, 'If the wife of any one of you asks permission (to go to the mosque) do not forbid her.' (Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book of Salaah, Chapter 80, Hadith No. 832) Not surprisingly the 'no women allowed' thing tends to practised only by Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims, mosques run by non-desis really don't have this restriction..

there myte not be enuf space to create separat Wuzu areas.

But they can't stop women going to Masjid

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

@Deeba - Most Indian subcontinent Muslims follow the Hanafi school of thought and they follow the ruling of Hazrat Umar that it is preferred that women pray at home.

Re: Chicago Mosque Not allowing in Women?

i think woment visiting is not commendable. and there is no point to insist for it. as the majority of shahba decided in hundred years back.

one of my friend who lives in london does not like visiting mosque as she thinks it looks like a "meena bazar" rather than a place of worship.

I know it's preferred but somehow in their heads it's been translated into meaning 'women are not allowed there at all.' Desis just love taking away a woman's Islamic rights, whether it's to do with marriage, education, money.. It's sad that some men feel so insecure they need to go on a power-trip..