Islam promotes the rights and equality of women. A closer look at Islamic history explains how women played an important and strong role in throughout Islamic history.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

HuffPost spoke with Maznavi and Muttalib about the process of opening a women’s-only mosque and what they see as the future of Muslim leadership in the U.S. Their answers were written and edited jointly except where noted otherwise.

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Why, in your opinion, is a women’s mosque necessary?

We believe that the Women’s Mosque of America can play an important role in strengthening the Muslim community at large by increasing women’s access to Islamic knowledge, encouraging female participation in existing mosques and fostering Islamic leadership and scholarship — both within and outside of the Muslim community. The Women’s Mosque of America seeks to provide an atmosphere in which Muslim women are surrounded by their peers and feel comfortable exploring more active leadership roles in a safe space.

What experiences in your own religious life led you to embark on the project?

Muttalib: As a young girl, my mother and father taught me that Islam was a religion that promoted equality among classes, races and sexes. With time, I realized that the egalitarian spirit of Islam that I loved so much was not always upheld or applied in Muslim spaces. When I reconnected with the Quran as a law student, I found that the text solidified my belief that Islam promotes the rights and equality of women. A closer look at Islamic history also made me realize that women played an important and strong role in throughout Islamic history.

Maznavi: As a young girl growing up in California’s largest mosque, I always felt welcomed and included. But once I left home and… read more @ huffingtonpost.com