Female Imams

Hi Everyone,

Here's what I dug up on the issue of female imams to far:

Dr. Amina Wadud, a professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, was the first woman (at least the only one we've ever heard of) to lead prayers in a mixed male-female congregation of Muslims. She led this much-publicized prayer in March of 2005 in the basement of a church in New York City. Area mosques refused to host her and an art gallery had to cancel after receiving a bomb threat. Wadud is the author of Qur'an and Women, which re-reads the most sacred text of Islam from a woman's perspective. Wadud has been sharply criticized by both Muslims authorities abroad and here in the United States who argue that women are not permitted to lead prayers, especially when men are present. She has been applauded by the self-labeled "progressive" Muslim organizations of North America, especially ones with a feminist bent.

Since Wadud lead these controversial prayers, I haven't found much else in the way of Muslim women trying to become imams. At least one other woman in Massachusetts has led prayers but in an all-female congregation. It is interesting to note that I found evidence that there are quite a few female Imams in China and Germany, but really none whatsoever in the United States. Especially in such a socially liberal area like New York, this is surprising to me.

I was also surprised to learn of the relatively lukewarm reception given to Wadud by Muslim women's organizations. All of their official statements on the issue seem hesitant to either endorse her or reject her. What I'm not sure of is if they are hesitant because they fear that female imams will break Islamic law, or if they are just not willing to buck cultural tradition on this particular issue. It's almost as if they are choosing their battles, and female imams is not shaping up to be one of them.

Overall, the movement for female imams seems tied with a movement for increased opportunities for Muslim women to become religious authorities in an official capacity. But this effort is primarily led by small liberal, feminist organizations based in North America and lacking legitimacy in the rest of the Muslim community. It also seems sporadic; since this one culminating event with Wadud that drew so much attention, the scene has been quiet. And that makes me wonder why...

That's all for now.