*4.6. Insulting Lectures or Khutbahs*

As part of the question about experiencing any gender discrimination, another question asked women about whether they had experienced any insulting or disrespectful lectures or Khutbahs. Surprisingly, there is more consensus on this topic as nearly all women had witnessed some insulting Khutbahs. Some women, however, did not consider it discrimination, rather they just found it offensive. These Khutbahs could have been invited Khutbahs in the mosque or online Khutbahs;

I heard some insulting khutbah but can't recall the exact one. It has been so long since I went to a mosque—it would be an Eid khutbah. (Aziza, 33)

One woman talked about a particular Khutbah delivered by a well-known Imam who was invited to her local mosque. The context of the lecture was addressing newly arrived refugees in her city. The encouragement by the Imam for the men in the congregation to share their wives like objects was shocking for this woman:

Most of the time, I didn't feel emotionally comfortable with the Khutbah, which contains violence, hatred, discrimination against women and against others (non-Muslims ... ). In the past, I used to leave the mosque with headaches and stress, because of the Imam's loud voice, yelling and screaming in anger. His Khutbah, instead of giving me good knowledge of Islam, made me feel sick, physically and emotionally. I used to get worried about my kids listening to his speech, which is not really suitable for them. One day, I was listening to one of popular Imams in Australia; he was invited by the mosque to give a Khutbah. He said that "in the time of Prophet Muhammed, and when the Muslims migrated to Al Medina, the people of Al Medina offered their wives to the migrant Muslims to marry them!! He said to migrants "you left your wives in Mecca and you need new wives here, and every man has more than

<sup>7</sup> Mosques.

one wife, can divorce the second and give her to his Muslim brother" ... ... from that day, I have not been to the mosque. Thanks God, my son was playing outside and didn't pay attention to that Khutbah. (Donya, 50)

Other insulting Khutbahs portrayed women as passive obedient wives, over emphasising women's dress code and undermining women's religious equality before Allah, which are all implications of strict patriarchal gender roles:

This has happened a couple of times during weddings at the mosque. When reference is made to women's responsibilities in marriage and the importance of obedience to husbands without reference to men's responsibilities and roles. Is frustrating, disappointing and is a reflection of the medieval views that some of our Imams hold. This is common among Imams who are new to Australia. I have not been to the mosque in a long time, so I am not sure what the state of affairs is now. I hope it has changed, but I am not holding my breath. (Huda, 50)

I personally haven't but friends have and were in shock afterwards. I have heard one particular Imam speak and give advice as well as answering questions when I was deeply offended by what he said. It wasn't because I was a woman, however, but because to my mind he lacked cultural sensitivity. Unfortunately, that particular Imam seems to see things in very black and white terms. I feel this is unhelpful in this society. (Lilli, 44)

I have heard lots of Khutbahs that promote stereotypes such as women being soft and submissive and men being strong and impactful. Women having the role of being a mother whereas men's role is to earn the living. Men as the leaders of the family, etc. I have also heard lots of emphasis on women covering themselves with long loose clothing and headscarves and women made to feel ashamed about dressing differently to that, in see-through or shorter length clothing. (Maria, 42)

I often heard very misogynistic Khutbahs, which is the reason I stopped going to mosque.

One in Eid Khutbah, that Imam said according to Prophet, women comprise majority of Hell, so they need to work harder to please God!! Another time men and women's role are completely based on private and public. Women's place is at home encouraging polygamy. (Nadia, 43)

One woman mentioned the distinction between Shia and Sunni's mosques but did not go into details:

I heard insulting Khutbahs only when I attended Sunni masjids; Khutbahs in Shia masjids seem to be more respectful due to the divine feminine aspect of Fatima Zahra8.

Few women have not heard any insulting lectures or Khutbahs:

When I was younger, I enjoyed listening to the talks offered and had a very romantic view of religion. I looked forward to being the 'ideal' Muslim woman, getting married and supporting my husband with his leadership roles, etc. The problem is that I never got married and I have struggled to understand my role and value in a system that gives much importance to women as wives and mothers. I don't feel insulted, but I feel a bit left out and under-valued at times. (Jamila, 37)

I have never heard a lecture or Khutbah that made me feel uncomfortable as a woman. I feel as though speakers, in this day, are considerate of all people, aiming to make lectures and Khutbahs to inspire and educate Muslims, rather than deter them. (Jane, 28)

<sup>8</sup> Prophet Mohammad's daughter.

I don't attend Friday prayers, so I have not. In the two or three occasions that I did attend, there was nothing offensive against women. (Sakina, 45)

In general, while most of the women experienced some sort of discrimination based on their gender, still there are a number of women who did not have any experiences of this kind. However, nearly all the participants for the current study noted problems with the quality of women's spaces in the mosque, either in terms of access, size, cleanliness or visibility and ability to hear the Khutbah. They questioned the current gender norms practiced in the mosque. This can be interpreted as an indication that Muslim women in Australia are fully aware of these strict gender roles and this contest can be viewed as a positive step forward for women's equal participation in the religious space and their inclusion in religious institutions. In particular, most women in this study are strongly against strict gender roles in the religious space. This can be due to high levels of education amongst the sample as most of the women have university degrees and work in professional positions. Another pattern in the women's narratives is the difference between converts and non-converts. It appears that convert women, in particular new converts, are supportive of current gender segregation and even approve the notion of women's body as a temptation. This traditional notion of gender and femininity appeals to women converts. Some studies (Van Nieuwekerk 2006) highlight that convert women's decisions to convert is mainly due to a desire to pursue more family-oriented and traditional values. Yet, these interpretations can serve to subordinate women. Furthermore, most of the women had experienced insulting Khutbahs, either at their mosques or online. They expressed critical sentiments about Imams who promote misogynistic and patriarchal views. It is worrying that Imams focus their Khutbahs on discriminative attitudes towards women, rather than promoting gender equality and harmony among Muslim families. As Woodlock (2010a, p. 274) explains, the reason for the existence of these rigid gender roles might be that "the mosque becomes iconic in representing Islam for Muslims living as minorities. Strict segregation in the mosque takes on symbolic importance in representing idealised gender roles, which are virtually unachievable anywhere else in the wider non-Muslim society in which the Muslims live".

#### **5. Conclusions**

This paper discusses the experiences of a sample of Muslim women attending the mosque. It explores the women's views on gender segregation as well as any experiences of gender discrimination in the mosque. The notion of the mosque as gendered space and women's embodiment in this space appeared as a noticeable common theme in the personal narratives. Most of the women in this study highlighted the relationships between gender, religion and power. The majority of the women challenged the male dominated structure as well as the current practice of gender segregation in Australian mosques. Some women found the practice of gender segregation damaging to the dignity of Muslim women, sexualising and othering towards them. These women claimed their own belonging and participation in the mosque, as well as their rights to have equal access to the mosque. They expressed the need for urgent change in the male dominated structure of the mosque and the attitudes of Imams and religious leaders to accommodate Muslim women's requests for gender equality. At the same time, some women in the study accepted gender segregation based on the religious teachings or Islamic traditions. It seems they reconciled "gender-normative religious practices" (Darwin 2018) which support gender inequality. This view reflects the dominant understandings among some Muslims in Australia who remain loyal to more conservative interpretations of gender roles. However, the findings of this study indicate that new voices among Muslim women are emerging which are looking for more inclusive religious institutions. Hopefully, there will be more reformist voices in Australian Muslim communities which will be allied with Muslim women for more progressive changes in the structure of the mosque and consequently more involvement of Muslim women in leadership.

**Author Contributions:** The author undertook all literature review, data collection and data analysis. The author have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.

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