Los Angeles: Over 100 women gathered Friday at the interfaith Pico-Union Project for the inaugural prayer marking the launch of the first Women's Mosque of America, Los Angeles Times reported.
The nonprofit project hoping to create space where Muslim women can learn and connect with other women.
This step marking the first time the traditional Friday call to prayer (juma) and subsequent sermon (khutbah) was led by a female.
Even though female-only mosques exist in China and other parts of the world, this is the first of its kind in America.
"We have the right and responsibility to our faith," Edina Lekovic said as she delivered the sermon to the gathering of roughly 150 women, according to Reuters.
The mosque hopes to create a space where Muslim women can learn and connect with other women.
"Muslim women haven't had a forum," said Yasmeen Ruhge, a cardiologist from the Californian city of Pasadena.
"When we go to the mosque, we have to sit on one side. Not that we aren't equal, but this gives us a freedom to talk as all women and create an independent role", she said.
Female-only mosques already exist in China, Chile and India, but Muslim leaders say this could be a first for the US.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
Though the battle is largely seen to be between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress sees itself as a "dark horse". In the 2013 election to the 70-member assembly, AAP won 28 seats and finished a close second to the BJP which won 31 seats. Congress only got eight. ... More
Also Read: Loss in Delhi bad for Parivar, not the BJP
Excited by last two year's success of the event, the 'World Hijab Day' organisers expect participation of over 10 million Muslims and non... More
Also Read: Muslim, non-Muslim women celebrate World Hijab Day across the globe
Senior and acclaimed poets were humiliated, abused and insulted by a self-styled chairman of Maharashtra Urdu Academy at the 2015 Republic Day Mushaira organized by the state government in front of the iconic Gateway of India in Mumbai on Monday January 26. .... More
It also shows that Joint Statements, even at the highest levels, are worth little more than the paper they are written on, if not followed up by either or both sides, as has been the case with the disarmament provisions of the November 2009 statement........ More
Also Read: US media skeptic about 'breakthrough' in n-deal
Prophet Muhammad PBUH was an introvert, a loner, a shy and quiet man since the beginning. His hurt at this name calling made him return back home and lay down, with his cloak wrapped around him. Prophet Muhammad PBUH was an introvert, a loner, a shy and quiet man since the beginning. His hurt at this name calling made him return back home and lay down, with his cloak .... More
Between the massacre at the premises of Charlie Hebdo and other event that have followed: I became a Muslim, Matic writes on her Faecbook page
With regard to my position towards the caricatures of the Prophet, I will write you the..... More
The California eighth-grader has launched a company to develop low-cost machines to print Braille, the tactile writing system for the visually impaired. Tech giant Intel Corp. recently invested in his startup, Braigo Labs. The California eighth-grader has launched a company to develop ... More