Sermon makes quiet history

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V Radhika
In a world that is still witnessing a great deal of Islam-bashing, the recent Id celebrations in a Toronto mosque made history quietly. A young woman, Maryam Mirza, 20, led part of the Id sermon; and another woman, Naudia Ally, concluded the day's proceedings with an Id message.
It is not uncommon for women to hold the microphone at the United Muslim Association's (UMA) mosque in Toronto. The congregation - with approximately 350 member-families - is known to be unconventional for its liberal views on Islam and women's rights; but when Mirza took the podium to address the assembled men and women on November 13 (Id), her action marked a radical move. For, delivering the Id sermon - even a part of it - is a function that is considered a male preserve.
Somewhat overwhelmed by the ensuing attention, congregation members say they are very encouraged by the positive response from a cross-section of the society including non-Muslims. There is criticism too, of course. The coordinator of the Islamic Council of Imams of Canada, Abdul Patel, maintains that a woman can deliver a sermon to an all-female congregation, but in a congregation of men and women, women do not lead prayers or preach. 'The Islamic practice of worship from the time of the Prophet to this day is that no woman has led the prayer. If she gives a speech after the prayer it is okay,' he says.
UMA members disagree. 'The holy Quran in no way stated that women's voices should not be heard in public or should not represent Islam in dialogue, in delivering a sermon or educating the community or the world at large. If the holy Quran permitted and allowed this, who am I to deny that right to our sisters, if they have the ability and courage to do so?' says Jabbar Ally, the Imam of UMA. Ally and other members point out that the restrictions on Muslim women's participation in the public sphere, including mosques, have been due to the 'mentality of men' and have no basis in the holy text.
'People (who deny women public roles) tend to forget that during the Prophet's era, women played a prominent part in life. They were teachers, they went to war, initiated divorce, so why we are going backward instead of moving forward?' says Zaheer Majeed, a member of the UMA executive.
Formed over a decade ago, UMA, whose members hail from Guyana and the Caribbean, has adopted a liberal approach not only towards understanding and interpreting Islam but also in reaching out to other religions. The mosque shares its wall with a Hindu temple, and during the month-long Ramadan celebrations, UMA had invited two Hindus from the adjacent temple to deliver speeches. Although Mirza was the first woman to deliver a sermon on Id, the congregation had another woman to conduct the concluding prayers on the last day of the fast during Ramadan.
The journey has involved the etching out of a more proactive role for women in the congregation through both discussion and debates. 'Over the years, we have been educating our audience at every level and on major issues - including things that are controversial within the larger community and Muslim organisations too,' says Ally.
'It did not happen overnight. It has evolved, and this was probably the right time,' adds Fazil Razaq, UMA's vice-president. The congregation, which was started by a small group of people in the basement of Ally's house, went through its development pangs. 'At one time,' says Razaq, 'we had many people pushing for reform while some people were very conservative. But gradually, we were able to reach a point where everybody was almost on the same wavelength. We have struggled with this (a woman leading prayers), and it was our priority. We thought about it four years ago but it took some time to arrive at this point.'
More than 200 people had gathered to hear Mirza lead the prayer. As the York University student said confidently, 'For our survival in this world we must change or we will be left behind. The same can be applied to religion...we must help Islam move forward and I believe we are doing just that.' Members in the audience nodded in agreement. 'I want to thank our leaders for making changes outside the norm,' she went on. 'We must continue to educate ourselves and initiate change in our community and in our religion.'
At the end of her 10-minute sermon, in which she emphasised the equality of the sexes as enshrined in the Quran, the need for education and initiating progressive changes while remaining within the fold of Islam, Mirza evoked immense support from the audience that included her proud parents.
The sermon, or Khutba, was divided into two parts. While Imam Jabbar Ally delivered the first part, he left the concluding part to Mirza. The decision to have Mirza preach was taken by the UMA executive because they felt she had the 'courage, knowledge and ability' to perform the task (she has played an active role in the congregation in the past few years). The choice of who would conclude the proceedings with Id greetings fell on Naudia Ally, who also happens to be the Imam's daughter.
For the UMA members, the issue of gender rights is a pressing one. Says Ally, 'People say you are women's advocates, and I say why not? My mother is a woman, my wife is a woman, my two daughters are women and so are my sisters. Every one of us, where would we have been today without women? Somebody has to take a stand and we are willing to do it, we are not breaking the laws of Quran.'
There are other issues too, that UMA would like to take up, including allaying the stereotypical perception of Islam as a religion that supports terrorism and subjugates women.
Both the young women have been participating in the mosque's functions and are used to the microphones. But November 13 was different. Just before she went up the podium, Mirza says, 'I was so nervous that I told my mom I was going to throw up.' But there was no trace of nerves as she walked up to the stage and read her speech.
The audience was very receptive and supportive. 'Some got teary-eyed. It's very overwhelming to see the positive reaction that I got,' says Mirza. The aspiring diplomat is still coming to terms with being catapulted into the spotlight. Although she discussed the broad issues of her sermon with the UMA executive and her father, the task of researching and writing it was Mirza's own.
Naudia knows there will be disapproval from various quarters but she is prepared to reason it out. 'A lot of traditions continue because we do not question them,' she says. 'It is really good to seek knowledge for yourself and know that whatever I am doing is right even though it may earn the disapproval of some.'
Both of them hope that this move creates ripples not only in their own religious community but in other faiths as well. Change, they say, does not happen overnight; but this may create more opportunities for women in religious spaces.

— NewsNetwork