A female Imam has founded a women-led Mosque in Denmark. Sherin Khankan calls her feminist project ‘Mariam Mosque.’ An author and commentator, she came up with the idea because she had often felt uncomfortable in male-dominated mosques.
This new mosque has only female Imams and Khankan explained to Politiken her motivation behind founding it:
“I have never felt at home in the existing mosques. The new grand mosques are unbelievably beautiful, but I have the feeling of being a stranger when I am there. We women stand up in the balcony and look down on what is happening. Many women and young people don’t even go into the mosques as you enter into a male dominated and patriarchal space in which a man has the floor, a man leads prayers, men are in focus and dominate. That is why we are now setting up a mosque on women’s terms.”
Men are welcome to worship at the mosque, however Fridays are exclusively for women only. Khankan is attempting to modernize Islam and make the faith relevant to modern life in Denmark.
She spoke with Agence French Presse explaining that she believes all religions (not Islam alone) have:
“…Normalised patriarchal structures”
Khankan aims to challenge that with the opening of this unique place of worship.
Opposition To The Mosque
The main objector to the female-run mosque has been from Imam Waseem Hussein, chair of the Danish Islamic Centre. Hussein claims reverse discrimination when he told Politiken:
“Why should there be a specific need just for women? Are we also to create mosques only for men? That would cause outcry within the Danish population.”
This new ground-breaking Muslim place of worship, is somewhere in Copenhagen The exact location is being kept secret in fear of violence from right-wing extremists.
Listen to a newscast about the new mosque:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG4pa3UZZCw
Featured Image: Screengrab Via Youtube Video.
