AKHIR ZAMAN



aminah wadud

Friday Prayer Led by Dr. Amina Wadud @ NYC

Muslim WakeUp!
is proud to sponsor
The First Muslim Woman on Record to Lead Mixed-Gender Prayer
Who: Dr. Amina Wadud will lead Jumah/Muslim Friday Prayer
When: Friday, March 18, 2005, 1-3pm
Where: Sundaram Tagore Gallery 137 Greene Street New York, New York 10012 Event Description: On Friday, March 18, 2005,

Dr. Amina Wadud, professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, will be the first woman to lead a public, mixed-gender Friday prayer. She will also deliver the Friday sermon. Dr. Wadud, the author of the groundbreaking book Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, is an esteemed scholar of Islam who affirms the right of Muslim women to be prayer leaders. It is a generally held view in the Muslim world and in the American Muslim community that women cannot lead mixed-gender prayer. This custom is pervasive and goes unchallenged. Research from the Qur'an and the customs of Prophet Muhammad demonstrate that there is no prohibition precluding women from leading mixed-gender prayer and, further, that Prophet Muhammad approved the practice of women leading mixed-gender prayer. Over the centuries, Muslim women have lost their place as intellectual and spiritual leaders.

On March 18, 2005 Muslim women will reclaim their right to be spiritual equals and leaders. Women will move from the space tradition has relegated them in the back of the mosque and pray in the front rows. Our effort will be part of a broader campaign to create communities in that rise to the highest principles of Islam's teachings on tolerance, justice, equity, and compassion. In the 7th century, the Prophet Muhammad built a model community in the city of Medina, earning it a place in history as "the City of Illumination" because of its progressive values. In the 21st century, we are committed to creating modern day "Cities of Light" in that value inclusion and women's rights.

About Dr. Amina Wadud

Amina Wadud is an Islamic studies professor in the department of philosophy and religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is nationally and internationally known for her ground breaking book Qur'an and Women: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, the first interpretive reading of the Qur'an by a woman. Dr. Wadud seeks to validate the female voice in the Qur'an and bring it out of the shadows. Dr. Wadud will deliver the sermon and lead the prayer.