Women in Bukhara are prohibited to go to mosques
17.08.2009
Ferghana.RuMuslim women in Bukhara are now prohibited to go to mosques, where they are used to go before Friday prayer.
According to Uzbekistani Committee for religious affairs, in 2009 Friday prayer in the Bukhara mosques was attended by over thousand women. Two mosques, Khuzha tabband and Piri dastgir, were especially popular. However, since recently the representatives of law enforcement bodies, clergy and mahallah (district) committees have been actively urging Muslim women stop visiting mosques and reached significant success.
In the opinion of Shohida Abdullaeva, the Director of Zhubori Kalon, Bukhara-based religious school for female, women go to mosques due to their lack of knowledge. "This is the religious illiteracy. According to Hadis [the interpretation of Koran], if a man prays in the mosque, he will be eligible for 26 savob [acts of kindness]. A woman can be eligible for 27 savob if she prays at home. Therefore, Muslim women pray at home", Abdullaeva tells to Ferghana.Ru correspondent.
Umma.Ru web site confirms that "according to Hadis, the best place for the woman, the house mistress, is home, not a mosque, unlike in the case with men". However, it specifies that "according to canons (!) woman can pray in the mosque. Moreover, considering today’s lack of religious literacy and high demand for spiritual feed, it is desirable for women to visit mosques since the collective prayers, listening to Friday sermon, imam’s views on various issues as well as the spiritual atmosphere positively influences the moral condition and spiritual mood of the person and facilitate gaining new knowledge and positive impressions", the Muslim site says.
"My friends and I visit mosques because we want to listen to imam that gives a speech prior to Friday prayer. It is very unique and every time we learn new things", one of the female visitors of the mosque notes.
Local men have various opinions on that issue. Some are ok with that while others believe this is not correct. Many men feel uncomfortable visiting the mosque and concentrating on the prayer in the presence of women. Nonetheless, all men, interviewed by Ferghana.Ru correspondent, indicated that their wives do not visit mosques.
According to Imam.Ru, today, the majority of mosques in the Muslim world either do not let women in or have separate place for women’s prayer, much smaller in size and less decorated.
"In the Mosque of the Prophet (may Allah bless and greet him) there was another approach. Women were praying behind men, forming independent rows. The reason is simple: Islam prohibits physical contact between strange woman and man", the Muslim web-site indicates. It also gives the following quotes from Hadis: "Do not prohibit women to visit the residence of God [Mosque]"; "Do not prohibit women to visit mosques, but their homes is the best place for them"; "If [your] wife wants to go to mosque, do not be a barrier for that"; "Do not prohibit women to visit the residence of God [mosque]! They can go out without using perfume [i.e. not attracting attention]".
Therefore, with some reservation Islam allows Muslim women visiting mosques. The government of Bukhara, one of the important centers of Islam, believes that woman in the mosque is intolerable.
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