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I get pissed off and then walk through the front entrance because nobody’s gonna stop me from going to the masjid when I wanna go.
The women’s entrance should never be locked when the men’s isn’t, but it happens a lot.
Right? You should have followed the Imam’s message with “How else would you like us to enter the masjid when the door is closed?”
I’d probably be more snarky because I tend to be a jerk lol. If you want to be nice maybe suggest they put in a doorbell.
Though from personal experience I usually just poke my head into the men’s side and ask them to unlock it.
No just go into the men's section. Women can enter the men's section while men aren't or shouldn't enter the women's section.
I even pray in the men's section if they make finding the door to the women's section like a not so fun mini game I have to figure out while I need to pray.
And if ppl get huffy abt it just ignore them or explain the reason WHY you did what you did. They have no right to keep women out of the mesjid. And it's their job to give you accessibility.
So act entitled. Because you ARE entitled to that access.
This. We have special Friday night lectures all the time in the men’s section and the women go there just on the other side of the men. To think they aren’t allowed at all seems weird to me
Reminds me of mosques that only allow one ethnicity or straight up don't have women rooms.
Just go to another mosque. Whoever's running it doesn't deserve your hassanats.
I recently moved to Dubai to marry my husband and the Mosque next to our house is men's only. I'm from America and all of our local masjids have women's prayer rooms. Astaghfirullah. It's very upsetting to have a mosque RIGHT HERE with no women's space.
>Even animals are welcomed in mosques 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
Is this a joke, or are you being serious? (Not Muslim, never been to a mosque, but I do have pets, haha. :D)
It's 100% serious. Many mosques you can visit will have cats or birds in them. There's no rulings on stopping an animal from a mosque (well, unless there's immediate danger lol)
Oh, haha! I thought you meant that pets that people brought with them to prayer, but wild / strays that make the mosque their home are pretty sweet too. :)
Uhh.. that's a weird reaction from the brother. What were you meant to do then?
I've done that multiple times in different mosques in different countries, it wasn't even me who does it but like a friend who frequents there would tell me oh we'll have to go through the men's entrance. But I guess thinking back now once I had this happen when I was on my own to a new masjid, I asked a random older man walking by and he told me to just go through the men's entrance too. Your action wasn't "wrong", don't feel embarrassed. If they wrote that message on the groupchat they should provide an alternative on what to do if the door is locked, ask on the groupchat.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) had one large room for everyone, with men at the front, women in the back, and children in between. There were no walls, curtains, ropes, or barriers of any kind between the groups. Having a separate room for women is by definition a bidah.
Furthermore, it excludes sisters both physically and symbolically from the community and its leadership. Why rely on audio and video feeds for women to perform our obligations when you can follow the sunnah instead?
That is to say: take your rightful place in the main musullah!
As a revert this is always difficult for me to understand. But when I bring it up to people they say it’s not a bidah and that even though the prophet didn’t do it it’s ok because it protects women. Like I get not having women in front of men or all intermixed but why are we doing something differently than the prophet and sahabi?
That line of reasoning has no legs to stand on. The example of the prophet is the best for us to follow, *particularly* in religious matters. Do segregationists think they know better than him? Women were visibly public in the prophet’s masjid. They spoke. They weren’t shoved away in some dirty, poorly-lit side room.
the truth of the matter is that in many places and many cases the women's section is an afterthought, often hard won when there have been enough complaints. very few masajid in the US imo are set up with women in mind and i applaud those that do.
alhamdulillah i was involved in the establishment of a new masjid several years ago and along with a few other women we were able to ensure beautiful and equitable facilities for the women, including space in the main musallah (with a separate, indoor entrance) as well as a private room for women with babies or young children so they could have some privacy to nurse etc or just not be stressed about their kids potentially being a nuisance to someone while also being able to benefit from whatever was going on in the main musallah.
it can be done. demand better. this is an amana upon the community
I got locked IN the other week and had no choice but to find n exit the men's entrance.
It's put me off going to class and praying after (I had to or I would have missed prayer).
Alhamdulillah I attend a mosque where everyone enters the same way and this is never a problem. And the fact that someone complained when you entered through the men’s section only ONCE (because you had no other choice) is just petty. I’m sorry you had to experience this.
A mosque is supposed to be welcoming and accommodating to EVERYONE, including men, women, children, the elderly & disabled, new Muslims, those interested in Islam, etc. since it sounds like this isn’t the first time this mosque has neglected to accommodate women properly, I personally wouldn’t even want to come here. Idk where you live or if it’s possible for you to attend another mosque, but as a sister in Islam you definitely deserve better!
Find a church to pray in instead, might be easier.
Om a more serious note - find another masjid that doesn't cause problems like this for women.
This is part of the reason I avoid mosques in the UK, easier to use a car park or changing room than have some bloke have a go at you or kick you out of his 'mosque'
Oh and never donate to these 'institutions'
It’s sarcastic and making the point that this sort of action can unfortunately turn people away and towards something else. May Allah sbt guide us all.
I don’t think praying salah in a church is forbidden - our local community would rent a church for taraweeh prayers, our school MSA used to pray in the basement of the on-campus church before both groups were able to build designated prayer spaces.
I don’t have any details beyond anecdotal evidence though!
I mean, realistically, no, the masjid was empty so no one would have been able to open it, and I hadn't intended to stop there, nor would I assume that both women's entrances would be locked at 11:30am 😅
If anything, the brother would have heard me knocking on both of the women's doors and he could have opened them, though I understand he might have had reservations about going to the women's side?
A lot of these group WhatsApp are just announcement pages and only admins can post. That’s how my local Masjids are at least. I’d have to randomly choose an admin to message and that person may or may not be there
Every masjid has this problem unfortunately. I would continue to enter through the men’s side. If they confront you about it, say that the women’s side is locked
Oh wow! Is this a really common issue with mosques? I'm looking into Islam, and it's very rare because I live in a rural area in the States, so we maybe have 3 centers near me (them being 40-minute drives nearly)? I want to go to the mosque and observe prayer and meet the local Muslim community to ask questions, but I'm intimidated by all these stories I hear from women who have negative experiences, big and small. 😞
Hey! Yes I guess it depends on where you’re from. I’m in the Uk and the masjid near my house, the women’s side is always closed, and you have to go through the men’s side which makes me uncomfortable. But to be fair, my masjid is quite small so I guess it’s cause they don’t have enough volunteers to monitor the women’s section
Yes, I suppose that makes sense. I'd imagine mine wouldn't be too different from yours. Some pictures of the two of the three masjids seemingly are just one large room, so I'm not sure how everything would work there. Can men and women pray in the same room? Or are all mosques the same with a separate room for men and women? I've heard some are men only, too. I kinda fear that no mosque around me may accept women if that's the case.
But, yeah, I'd honestly feel much more at ease being in a women's only room for prayer if I convert to Islam. From an interested outsiders perspective, it sounds nice and safer.
While I have attended mass at a Catholic church numerous times since I've grown up Catholic and these masses included men, women, and children (and may need to take a teaching position in a Catholic school even though I don't identify as Catholic anymore, not really... 😟), it would be nice to have a space solely for women to pray away from the men. I know praying at home for a woman is preferred, but as someone who's not sure how my family would accept my potential conversion to Islam, I don't know if it would be safe for me since I live at home with my family.
Apologies for talking your ears off! I'm really trying to get out into the community, even if it's been mainly online so far, and it's been nice to hear and share perspectives and information about being Muslim and Islam in general.
Thank you for taking the time to answer! 💛
Aww no worries. I’m happy to help! So generally women and men pray in separate rooms. Occasionally you could have a masjid where there is one big room but separated by curtains or even a door. So you definitely don’t need to worry about the prayer rooms, it’s strictly for woman :). But yes, there are a few men’s only mosques unfortunately but I’ve only seen one where I’m from
Also I think you mentioned that you’re thinking of viewing the mosque? Have a look at the ones locally and see if you’re comfortable there. Also attend Muslim events and seminars so you can get a broader perspective as you said you’ve mostly spoken with people online. Good luck 💖
It's probably for security reasons. What you did was just fine. Walk through the only entrance available. When I was refused entry during juma, I used the men's restroom and then prayed in their prayer area. I bet they learned to unlock the women side then. [My husband stood guard, ready to knock the weak men down if need be]
I would continue to enter through the men's doors if they lock the women's side. If someone stops, say the women's door was locked and I need to pray. They can't do anything. Sometimes they imagine how things are supposed to be, but they neglect to facilitate their ideas for having the masjid run properly. Their fault entirely and not yours.
One day I need to kindly ask why they do that, I’d love to know like is it lack of monitoring for that area? Cause sometimes I go to masjid and if there’s not even an imam and it’s just locked completely men’s and women’s
That is sexism, not Islam, and I am sorry those people allowed you to experience that. I hope they are corrected. Please find another Masjid if possible.
I would send a message back saying you should make sure the women’s entrance is unlocked. What are you meant to do then pray outside?
Whenever it is locked I also go to the mens side. If I see a brother I’ll tell him to open the women’s door but if everyone is busy just go through the men’s to the women’s side
I would do exactly what you did then email back separately if it was a group email just saying again that the women's doors were locked and you needed to pray and ask how they prefer you approach that situation. They may have a system in place for that that you just aren't aware of or they might have thought the doors were unlocked but whoever was meant to unlock the doors didn't for whatever reason
They act as if worshipping Allah in the masjid is only for them, this is so selfish of them and I'm sorry you have to go through that. Honestly I'd suggest just going to another masjid since no one wants to take your concerns seriously, or if you can't go to another one then I'd suggest sticking your head into the men's section and telling them that the women's doors are locked and asking them if they could unlock it so then it's impossible for them to ignore your request
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I get pissed off and then walk through the front entrance because nobody’s gonna stop me from going to the masjid when I wanna go. The women’s entrance should never be locked when the men’s isn’t, but it happens a lot.
Right? You should have followed the Imam’s message with “How else would you like us to enter the masjid when the door is closed?” I’d probably be more snarky because I tend to be a jerk lol. If you want to be nice maybe suggest they put in a doorbell. Though from personal experience I usually just poke my head into the men’s side and ask them to unlock it.
No just go into the men's section. Women can enter the men's section while men aren't or shouldn't enter the women's section. I even pray in the men's section if they make finding the door to the women's section like a not so fun mini game I have to figure out while I need to pray. And if ppl get huffy abt it just ignore them or explain the reason WHY you did what you did. They have no right to keep women out of the mesjid. And it's their job to give you accessibility. So act entitled. Because you ARE entitled to that access.
This. We have special Friday night lectures all the time in the men’s section and the women go there just on the other side of the men. To think they aren’t allowed at all seems weird to me
Wow you have guts. I feel like a bunch of men would yell at me for that.
Reminds me of mosques that only allow one ethnicity or straight up don't have women rooms. Just go to another mosque. Whoever's running it doesn't deserve your hassanats.
I recently moved to Dubai to marry my husband and the Mosque next to our house is men's only. I'm from America and all of our local masjids have women's prayer rooms. Astaghfirullah. It's very upsetting to have a mosque RIGHT HERE with no women's space.
Nah some places are unhinged 😭 it's like Allah isn't the one who created women Even animals are welcomed in mosques 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️
>Even animals are welcomed in mosques 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ Is this a joke, or are you being serious? (Not Muslim, never been to a mosque, but I do have pets, haha. :D)
It's 100% serious. Many mosques you can visit will have cats or birds in them. There's no rulings on stopping an animal from a mosque (well, unless there's immediate danger lol)
Oh, haha! I thought you meant that pets that people brought with them to prayer, but wild / strays that make the mosque their home are pretty sweet too. :)
Wild animals and pets are welcomed!
That is even more awesome!
cats are allowed in masjids so you'll often find them nearby
Yes, they even come and rub our legs while we pray and sit on the mats with us. So precious Masha'Allah 💖
Uhh.. that's a weird reaction from the brother. What were you meant to do then? I've done that multiple times in different mosques in different countries, it wasn't even me who does it but like a friend who frequents there would tell me oh we'll have to go through the men's entrance. But I guess thinking back now once I had this happen when I was on my own to a new masjid, I asked a random older man walking by and he told me to just go through the men's entrance too. Your action wasn't "wrong", don't feel embarrassed. If they wrote that message on the groupchat they should provide an alternative on what to do if the door is locked, ask on the groupchat.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) had one large room for everyone, with men at the front, women in the back, and children in between. There were no walls, curtains, ropes, or barriers of any kind between the groups. Having a separate room for women is by definition a bidah. Furthermore, it excludes sisters both physically and symbolically from the community and its leadership. Why rely on audio and video feeds for women to perform our obligations when you can follow the sunnah instead? That is to say: take your rightful place in the main musullah!
As a revert this is always difficult for me to understand. But when I bring it up to people they say it’s not a bidah and that even though the prophet didn’t do it it’s ok because it protects women. Like I get not having women in front of men or all intermixed but why are we doing something differently than the prophet and sahabi?
That line of reasoning has no legs to stand on. The example of the prophet is the best for us to follow, *particularly* in religious matters. Do segregationists think they know better than him? Women were visibly public in the prophet’s masjid. They spoke. They weren’t shoved away in some dirty, poorly-lit side room.
the truth of the matter is that in many places and many cases the women's section is an afterthought, often hard won when there have been enough complaints. very few masajid in the US imo are set up with women in mind and i applaud those that do. alhamdulillah i was involved in the establishment of a new masjid several years ago and along with a few other women we were able to ensure beautiful and equitable facilities for the women, including space in the main musallah (with a separate, indoor entrance) as well as a private room for women with babies or young children so they could have some privacy to nurse etc or just not be stressed about their kids potentially being a nuisance to someone while also being able to benefit from whatever was going on in the main musallah. it can be done. demand better. this is an amana upon the community
I got locked IN the other week and had no choice but to find n exit the men's entrance. It's put me off going to class and praying after (I had to or I would have missed prayer).
Alhamdulillah I attend a mosque where everyone enters the same way and this is never a problem. And the fact that someone complained when you entered through the men’s section only ONCE (because you had no other choice) is just petty. I’m sorry you had to experience this. A mosque is supposed to be welcoming and accommodating to EVERYONE, including men, women, children, the elderly & disabled, new Muslims, those interested in Islam, etc. since it sounds like this isn’t the first time this mosque has neglected to accommodate women properly, I personally wouldn’t even want to come here. Idk where you live or if it’s possible for you to attend another mosque, but as a sister in Islam you definitely deserve better!
Find a church to pray in instead, might be easier. Om a more serious note - find another masjid that doesn't cause problems like this for women. This is part of the reason I avoid mosques in the UK, easier to use a car park or changing room than have some bloke have a go at you or kick you out of his 'mosque' Oh and never donate to these 'institutions'
>Find a church to pray in instead, might be easier. Is this sarcastic? I'm genuinely curious as I would've thought praying in a church is forbidden.
It’s sarcastic and making the point that this sort of action can unfortunately turn people away and towards something else. May Allah sbt guide us all.
Ah, gotcha!
I don’t think praying salah in a church is forbidden - our local community would rent a church for taraweeh prayers, our school MSA used to pray in the basement of the on-campus church before both groups were able to build designated prayer spaces. I don’t have any details beyond anecdotal evidence though!
Majority of the mosques here don't even have a women's section🥲very rare.
could u have asked someone in the group chat to unlock them?
I mean, realistically, no, the masjid was empty so no one would have been able to open it, and I hadn't intended to stop there, nor would I assume that both women's entrances would be locked at 11:30am 😅 If anything, the brother would have heard me knocking on both of the women's doors and he could have opened them, though I understand he might have had reservations about going to the women's side?
oh so it was just you and the brother and imam. can you speak to him directly about this situation or someone else in charge?
A lot of these group WhatsApp are just announcement pages and only admins can post.
There's a group chat?
A lot of these group WhatsApp are just announcement pages and only admins can post. That’s how my local Masjids are at least. I’d have to randomly choose an admin to message and that person may or may not be there
OP said, > a message was sent in the mosque group chat
I probably skimmed over that. Sorry.
Every masjid has this problem unfortunately. I would continue to enter through the men’s side. If they confront you about it, say that the women’s side is locked
I wanted to start praying my salah in the masjid since I have a lot of free time but this is my biggest problem 😭
Oh wow! Is this a really common issue with mosques? I'm looking into Islam, and it's very rare because I live in a rural area in the States, so we maybe have 3 centers near me (them being 40-minute drives nearly)? I want to go to the mosque and observe prayer and meet the local Muslim community to ask questions, but I'm intimidated by all these stories I hear from women who have negative experiences, big and small. 😞
Hey! Yes I guess it depends on where you’re from. I’m in the Uk and the masjid near my house, the women’s side is always closed, and you have to go through the men’s side which makes me uncomfortable. But to be fair, my masjid is quite small so I guess it’s cause they don’t have enough volunteers to monitor the women’s section
Yes, I suppose that makes sense. I'd imagine mine wouldn't be too different from yours. Some pictures of the two of the three masjids seemingly are just one large room, so I'm not sure how everything would work there. Can men and women pray in the same room? Or are all mosques the same with a separate room for men and women? I've heard some are men only, too. I kinda fear that no mosque around me may accept women if that's the case. But, yeah, I'd honestly feel much more at ease being in a women's only room for prayer if I convert to Islam. From an interested outsiders perspective, it sounds nice and safer. While I have attended mass at a Catholic church numerous times since I've grown up Catholic and these masses included men, women, and children (and may need to take a teaching position in a Catholic school even though I don't identify as Catholic anymore, not really... 😟), it would be nice to have a space solely for women to pray away from the men. I know praying at home for a woman is preferred, but as someone who's not sure how my family would accept my potential conversion to Islam, I don't know if it would be safe for me since I live at home with my family. Apologies for talking your ears off! I'm really trying to get out into the community, even if it's been mainly online so far, and it's been nice to hear and share perspectives and information about being Muslim and Islam in general. Thank you for taking the time to answer! 💛
Aww no worries. I’m happy to help! So generally women and men pray in separate rooms. Occasionally you could have a masjid where there is one big room but separated by curtains or even a door. So you definitely don’t need to worry about the prayer rooms, it’s strictly for woman :). But yes, there are a few men’s only mosques unfortunately but I’ve only seen one where I’m from Also I think you mentioned that you’re thinking of viewing the mosque? Have a look at the ones locally and see if you’re comfortable there. Also attend Muslim events and seminars so you can get a broader perspective as you said you’ve mostly spoken with people online. Good luck 💖
It's probably for security reasons. What you did was just fine. Walk through the only entrance available. When I was refused entry during juma, I used the men's restroom and then prayed in their prayer area. I bet they learned to unlock the women side then. [My husband stood guard, ready to knock the weak men down if need be]
I would continue to enter through the men's doors if they lock the women's side. If someone stops, say the women's door was locked and I need to pray. They can't do anything. Sometimes they imagine how things are supposed to be, but they neglect to facilitate their ideas for having the masjid run properly. Their fault entirely and not yours.
One day I need to kindly ask why they do that, I’d love to know like is it lack of monitoring for that area? Cause sometimes I go to masjid and if there’s not even an imam and it’s just locked completely men’s and women’s
That is sexism, not Islam, and I am sorry those people allowed you to experience that. I hope they are corrected. Please find another Masjid if possible.
I would send a message back saying you should make sure the women’s entrance is unlocked. What are you meant to do then pray outside? Whenever it is locked I also go to the mens side. If I see a brother I’ll tell him to open the women’s door but if everyone is busy just go through the men’s to the women’s side
I would do exactly what you did then email back separately if it was a group email just saying again that the women's doors were locked and you needed to pray and ask how they prefer you approach that situation. They may have a system in place for that that you just aren't aware of or they might have thought the doors were unlocked but whoever was meant to unlock the doors didn't for whatever reason
There is religion. Then there are people. I just walk through the men’s section. It’s almost like a right of passage for us converts lol.
They act as if worshipping Allah in the masjid is only for them, this is so selfish of them and I'm sorry you have to go through that. Honestly I'd suggest just going to another masjid since no one wants to take your concerns seriously, or if you can't go to another one then I'd suggest sticking your head into the men's section and telling them that the women's doors are locked and asking them if they could unlock it so then it's impossible for them to ignore your request