Muslim group to consult on plans for Britain's first mosque for women

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Wednesday 13 May 2015 - 11:39 Makkah mean time-24-7-1436 Women from the Bradford Muslim Women’s Council meet Ed Miliband in June 2012. (Photograph for the Guardian) London, (IINA) - A Muslim group seeking to establish Britain’s first female-led mosque is to consult on its plans for a prayer space “managed by women primarily for women”, according to the Guardian. During the initial consultation, the aim is for various options for the women’s mosque to be discussed with both locals and international Islamic scholars. The Muslim Women’s Council (MWC) says the facility would be open to Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Early plans include facilities specifically tailored for Muslim women to cater for their religious beliefs including services for divorce, bereavement, legal advice, parenting, and feeding the homeless. The organization also seeks to promote Islamic education and scholarship for British Muslim women in order to tackle social issues such as radicalization and lack of social cohesion, saying: “In the current context, the role of British Muslim women has never been more important”. Bana Gora, the founding member and chief executive of MWC, noted that the MWC wanted to provide a safe space for young women to question, learn and grow, have an opportunity to make informed choices and to appreciate their heritage at a time when “many young people feel that their faith is no longer relevant, or are going to extremes”. The focus is initially on Bradford, where there are 110 mosques and where a quarter of the population say they are Muslim. The MWC has previously organized meetings with party political leaders, challenged volunteers to climb Mount Snowdon for charity, and hosted events to celebrate the lives of women in the community. There are female imams and women’s mosques, or nüsi, in China, with Wangjia Hutong Women’s Mosque of Kaifeng, which dates back to 1820, being the oldest surviving one. SM/IINA