Open Mosque welcomes women
PROFESSOR Taj Hargey, a Cape Townborn Oxford academic, believes the Open Mosque he will launch on Friday, in which Muslim men and women will pray together without a partition, is a step in the right direction.
To him it will signal equality between the sexes and this will be further compounded by women being allowed to lead prayers.
The mosque, which is based in a hall in Lester Road in Wynberg, Cape Town, is also open to gays, lesbians and non-Muslims.
Hargey, the founder, said this would be the country’s first gender-equal, non-sectarian and inter-racial mosque.
It would also be non-aligned and would welcome Sunni and Shia Muslims at the same service.
To Hargey, who matriculated at Sastri College in Durban, the concept is a religious revolution.
“This idea is innovative, pioneering and trailblazing. I hope it will become a
TAJ HARGEY model for other mosques to follow. The Open Mosque is for liberal and progressive minded Muslims and it takes Islam back to its roots.
“Although we will follow the Qur’an and promote gender equality, we will not be linked to any councils or organisations because we will have to agree with everything they say. The Open Mosque will be fiercely independent and autonomous,” said Hargey.
“We don’t want women to enter the mosque at separate entrances. We don’t want them to make samoosas and chapattis. Instead, we want them to become highly visible, provide leadership and make decisions. They must lead prayers as equals.”
He said women and men would sit in the same hall but at different ends.There would be no partition between them as is the case in traditional mosques.
According to Islam, Muslims do not mix in mosque, to avoid men thinking immorally about women.
Sitting separately helps men control themselves and focus on worshipping God.
Hargey believes this will not be a problem.
He added that Muslims needed to give the youth a religion relative to the times. “The concept of the Open Mosque could cause inter-generational conflict, but we need to face issues instead of sweeping things under the carpet.”
He said the Friday sermons would be rotated among different religious and cultural leaders, including women.
“We have Diwali coming up. We may, for instance, get someone qualified and competent to speak to the congregants about this day. We don’t want to convert anyone. We want to learn about others and establish friendship and good neighbours.”
Prayers will continue to be held five times a day, but there will be no permanent imam (priests) as Hargey believes this could lead to a monopolisation of power.
He said the Open Mosque had been well received by many in the city and he expecting about 300 worshippers to attend mosque on Friday. “I have appeared on several radio shows and the listeners said they had been waiting for this for many years.”
But there have also been sceptics. According to Hargey, some Muslims are up in arms over the opening of the mosque.
“We have been accused of not being Muslim, and labelled homosexuals. I will take legal action if this continues.”
Although he did not endorse homosexuality, he did not condemn gays and lesbians.
Hargey said the forward-thinking mosque would also marry Muslim women who wanted to wed outside their faith.
He said the Open Mosque had an executive board of nine people, four of whom are women.
According to reports, Riad Fataar of the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) is investigating the establishment of the mosque.
“We see and feel the anxiousness in our community. Our community is trying to protect the integrity and purity of our deen (faith).”
He added: “Anything that goes against our deen (faith) and which rejects the primary sources such the Quran and Hadeeth will be condemned by the MJC. We want to make sure that our deen is protected and that the Muslim community is not fooled.”
Hargey was born in Wynberg. He completed his Master’s degree at the American University in Cairo and his doctorate at Oxford. His wife, Jacqueline Woodman, sits on the board of the Manchester College Oxford Chapel Society. “She is a Christian and I am a Muslim, but we are tolerant of each other’s religion.”
They will visit SA twice a year to supervise the mosque.