Amina Wadud

Professor Amina Wadud was the subject of much debate and Muslim juristic discourse after leading a Friday prayer congregation of over 100 men and women in the Episcopal cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York on March 18, 2005, breaking with the tradition of having only male imams. (Three mosques had refused to host the service, while an art gallery was persuaded through a bomb threat to refuse the service as well.) The event was perhaps the first time in the history of Islam that a woman lead the Friday prayer. See Women as imams for a discussion of the issue.

In August 1994, Dr. Wadud delivered a Friday khutbah (sermon) on "Islam as Engaged Surrender" at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town, South Africa. At the time, this too was largely unheard of in the Muslim world. As a result, there were attempts in Virginia by some members of the Muslim community to have her fired from her position at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The overwhelming majority of Muslims around the world have objected to Dr Wadud's imamate and some even declare it as as blasphemous while others consider it Ijtihad, though according to Islamic Jurisprudence, the exercise of Ijtihad is not allowed in the presence of clear-cut textual evidence and scholarly consensus. She has reportedly been threatened by some people who holds to the fundementals of Islam. Conservative opinions may have contributed to the mosques' refusal of Dr. Wadud's service.

Majority of religious scholars (ulema) and jurists agree that it is against Islam to have a woman Imam lead a prayer when there is a male in the congregation. The Prophet Muhammad has never practiced the Imamate of a woman in a Salat when there was a male attending it.

See also

• Women as imams
• Abdul Wadood

External Links

• Amina Wadud interview
• Woman Imam, BBC Urdu page
• Who is Dr Wadud (Urdu)?
• More Qur'an-only Feminism
• Gender and Reform in Islam
• Associated Press story: Woman leads Muslim prayer service (CNN link)