Women lead prayers, revolution in China Saibal Dasgupta [ Monday, June 26, 2006 12:20:18 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
WUZHONG (CHINA): As part of a silent revolution in China, Muslim women are leading prayers, something considered unthinkable in Islamic countries.
Wuzhong has the highest concentration of female imams in China. Over 20 of them lead prayers and advise women on religious affairs in this predominantly Muslim town.
Wang Shan was a nurse when in 1985, she developed an eagerness to learn more of the Koran and improve her religious practices. She said, "I didn't plan to be an imam. I only wanted to learn more and improve my Arabic.
But later, I found that many women who didn't read the Koran needed guidance on religious matters." She cleared a qualifying examination to become an imam and took over her position in 2002.
However, occasional attempts by women to become imam are suppressed with a heavy hand elsewhere on the globe. Early this month, a fatwa was issued by the Muslim clergy in Morroco, prohibiting women to take up the "prestigious position".
In 2004, a 40-year-old woman was reportedly arrested when she tried to deliver a "Jum'ah khutbah" (Friday sermon) in Bahrain.
In stark contrast, Wang Shan and another woman imam, Jin Meihua, did not face much resistance from the men and the traditional clergy when they took up their positions. "My husband is very supportive of my role," said Wang Shan.
China, in fact, had a system of female imams in the 1950s and the first woman imam took her position in 1951, Wang Shan said. "But during the Cultural Revolution, there was a lot of suppression.
That was when women imams stopped playing any role. The resurgence took place in recent years. The oldest female imam in Wuzhong has been practising for 10 years."
Moreover, this resurgence has taken place along with the creation of female-only mosques in several parts of west China. These mosques are separate buildings, though some are close to the larger and old mosques where the men pray.
This is different from two parallel traditions prevalent in different parts of the world - women are either not permitted to enter mosques at some places or special curtained-off partitions are created for them to pray in the mosques.
"There are some anti-woman elements in Islamic society. It is easy for women to make mistakes. For instance, they have to stop praying after childbirth. They also have many responsibilities at home.
This is why women need special attention and guidance in the study of religion. Women imams can play an important role in this matter," Wang Shan said. "I would like to see more woman imams the world over."
"I'm happy at this trend of female imams. Women support half the sky on this earth and they deserve their own imams," said Yang Wan Bao, the youthful imam in the traditional male mosque next to Wang's small flat-roofed mosque.