Masjid Tucson in the News

Arizona Daily Star, the daily newspaper of the city of Tucson, Arizona published an article about the city’s Muslim women on 01.21.2007. The article was titled “City's Muslim women move up - Move into main room reflects a changing Islam.” The article was based mainly on the news that women attending the Friday sermon in the Islamic Center of Tucson, a “sunni” mosque, are for the first time able to see the person giving the sermon: “For the first time since Tucson's largest mosque was completed in 1990, women there may pray in view of the imam and other leaders on a consistent basis.”

The separation of women in a mosque to enclosed quarters is an innovation and cultural imposition rather than a religious requirement. Some of the women in the Islamic Center realized this fact and are quoted saying that “in the days of the Prophet Muhammad there were no barriers. Rather, the women prayed a few feet behind the men.”

 

In Masjid Tucson (Mosque of Tucson) there have never been barriers for women since its establishment in the mid 1970’s by Dr. Rashad Khalifa. Women do not have to cover their hair as a religious requirement either, since the covering of hair is not in the Quran.

The newspaper allocated almost a full page for this article with all pictures taken at Masjid Tucson showing our sisters hugging each other in congratulations after the Friday (Jum’a) prayer. The article quoted the following:

“At the International Community of Submitters/Masjid Tucson in Midtown, women pray in the same room as men, typically at the back. The "submitters," as they call themselves, have about 100 members in Tucson. The key difference between submitters and mainstream Islam, its followers say, is that they follow only the Quran, not customs outside of the Quran.”

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[Quran 22:16]  We have thus revealed clear revelations herein, then GOD guides whoever wills (to be guided).

 

Masjid Tucson Forms Interfaith Bridges

A group of 13 women from Church Women United (CWU), an interfaith organization, came to the Friday (Jum’a) prayer service on 01.26.2007 as part of an effort to increase the communications and understanding among the people of different religions.

The women enjoyed the khutbah (sermon) and observed the prayer. They were appreciative of the opportunity to visit a mosque and see a sermon, and  they continued with questions and discussion after the sermon. They have been presented with Qurans, the pamphlets on Understanding Islam (Submission) and some copies of the Submitters Perspective newsletters.

God willing there will be another group of CWU women visiting Masjid Tucson soon to continue the dialog started with the initial meeting.