3 ms·

The norm in mosques is: Women & Men pray separately. In Islam, men praying in congregation get more reward then praying at home (and are sometimes required to p

The norm in mosques is: Women & Men pray separately. In Islam, men praying in congregation get more reward then praying at home (and are sometimes required to pray at the mosque). For women, it's the other way around (more reward when prayed at home and it's not obligatory). Most mosques have a prayer hall for men & women. Usually less women come anyway because of the reason just explained, which usually means mosques have larger prayer hall for men than women. Some, due to lack of area they can build on, don't have space to build a prayer hall for women and thus just use the maximum capacity for the men because these are obliged to go pray at the mosque at least once a week on Friday. For women it's not obligatory to pray at the mosque.

amaccuish 7y ago
Ye from a mosque I visited in Dubai, they said this came about because women were expected to be at home tending to the children and housework.
pbhjpbhj 7y ago
>Usually less women come anyway // Another reason for less women might be difficulties in going outside, I understand that in some regions controlled by Islamists it's expected (required?) that women are always accompanied by an adult male relative if they go out. This constraint alone seems like it would almost always lead to Mosques having fewer females present; but I haven't properly modelled it.
- Cyph0n 7y ago
  Perhaps, but that is an extreme exception, so it follows that it has basically zero impact on why mosques are segregated. In the early days of Islam, women were fairly independent. For example, the Prophet’s first wife was a prominent merchant and much wealthier than he was. One of his other wives, Aisha, was an extremely respected narrator of Hadith, even after his death. Things changed slightly over time as: (1) local cultures mixed with the religion and (2) different branches of thought arose, each with their own interpretations and understanding of the religion. This, combined with the dominance of patriarchal societies in the region, led to women having fewer chances to participate in the workforce.
  - faissaloo 7y ago
    >Aisha, was an extremely respected narrator of Hadith, even after his death. Continuing on from this she is termed the 'Mother of the Believers' and was a military commander during The First Fitnah.
  - pbhjpbhj 7y ago
    >"it has basically zero impact on why mosques are segregated" // Were you responding to a different comment, I made no mention of, nor does my comment relate to, segregation.

amaccuish 7y ago

Ye from a mosque I visited in Dubai, they said this came about because women were expected to be at home tending to the children and housework.

pbhjpbhj 7y ago

>Usually less women come anyway // Another reason for less women might be difficulties in going outside, I understand that in some regions controlled by Islamists it's expected (required?) that women are always accompanied by an adult male relative if they go out. This constraint alone seems like it would almost always lead to Mosques having fewer females present; but I haven't properly modelled it.

Cyph0n 7y ago
Perhaps, but that is an extreme exception, so it follows that it has basically zero impact on why mosques are segregated. In the early days of Islam, women were fairly independent. For example, the Prophet’s first wife was a prominent merchant and much wealthier than he was. One of his other wives, Aisha, was an extremely respected narrator of Hadith, even after his death. Things changed slightly over time as: (1) local cultures mixed with the religion and (2) different branches of thought arose, each with their own interpretations and understanding of the religion. This, combined with the dominance of patriarchal societies in the region, led to women having fewer chances to participate in the workforce.
- faissaloo 7y ago
  >Aisha, was an extremely respected narrator of Hadith, even after his death. Continuing on from this she is termed the 'Mother of the Believers' and was a military commander during The First Fitnah.
- pbhjpbhj 7y ago
  >"it has basically zero impact on why mosques are segregated" // Were you responding to a different comment, I made no mention of, nor does my comment relate to, segregation.