Obama’s mosque visit demonstrates tacit acceptance of a form of gender apartheid

[oberliner]

This past weekend, dozens of girls and boys as young as about 8 years old ran up the stairwell to the main entrance of the musallah, or main prayer hall, of the Islamic Society of Baltimore, where President Obama visits Wednesday in his first presidential visit to a U.S. mosque. As the children rounded the corner, a stern mosque Sunday school teacher stood before them, shouting, “Girls, inside the gym! Boys in the musallah.”

The girls, shrouded in headscarves that, in some cases, draped half their bodies, slipped into a stark gymnasium and found seats on bare red carpet pieces laid out in a corner. They faced a tall industrial cement block wall, in the direction of the qibla, facing Mecca, a basketball hoop above them. Before them a long narrow window poured a small dash of sunlight into the dark gym.

On the other side of the wall, the boys clamored excitedly into the majestic musallah, their feet padded by thick, decorated carpet, the sunlight flooding into the room through spectacular windows engraved with the 99 names of Allah, or God, in Islam. Ornate Korans and Islamic books filled shelves that lined the front walls.

As President and Michelle Obama argued decades ago in the context of the U.S. civil rights movement, separate is indeed unequal. To Muslim women’s rights activists fighting for equal access to mosques as part of a broader campaign for reform — from equal education for women and girls to freedom from so-called “honor killings” — the president’s visit to a mosque that practices such blatant inequity represents a step backwards. While it may be meant to convey a message of religious inclusiveness to American Muslims, the visit demonstrates tacit acceptance of a form of discrimination that amounts to gender apartheid. For that reason, we will be standing outside the mosque on Johnnycake Road, as close as the Secret Service allows, to protest the separate and unequal standards inside and advocate for equal rights.

http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/02/03/obamas-mosque-visit-demonstrates-tacit-acceptance-of-a-form-of-gender-apartheid/

[snagglepuss]

1. I am really shocked by how blatant the favortism. Really shocked and disgusted.

I agree with the premise that Obama's visit gives tacit approval which isn't good however it is eye-opening to see what American Muslim girls are subjected and forced to accept.

[oberliner]

2. Gender discrimination is a major problem

It ought to be addressed across all of the patriarchal religious traditions, Islam included.

Progressive values should not take a back seat to religious ones.

[ericson00]

19. I know Obama is a Christian, but part of Obama's perception problem

is indeed partly because of stuff like this.

[Fla Dem]

3. As the article goes on to say, this treatment of women is not isolated to Islam

Sects of Judaism, Mormons, Catholicism and other Christian denominations, relegate women to 2nd class status. The government should not grant tax exempt status for any organization that practices discrimination of any kind.

[oberliner]

8. No indeed

I admire those Jewish and Christian reformers who have broken with those archaic traditions in their services.

I would say the same thing for Muslims as well. It would've been great for attention to be paid to a more progressive mosque where males and females are not separated in this way.

[ericson00]

18. yea but the one Jewish majority country and dozens of Christian majority nations

have societies in which fourth class treatment of women is NOT the norm, thus demonstrating that Muslim society at large can't separate mosque from home, state, you name it.

[CBGLuthier]

4. Gee, I hope he doesn''t go to any orthodox jewish temples where they do the same exact shit.

And I do believe the Catholics still don't allow women to be priests. But yeah, lets act like only the muslims do this.

[Bettie]

6. Various Lutheran Synods

still do not even allow women a voice in the church or to be clergy.

They may be allowed to sit in the main room with the men, but they are definitely second-class there too.

It isn't only Islam and it is a problem.

[oberliner]

9. Orthodox Jewish services suffer from exactly the same sort of issues

However, there are countless Reform Jewish services that have almost complete gender equity.

It would have been great for Obama to have highlighted a mosque that was more in that latter category than the former.

Especially as his one and only visit of his presidency.

[el_bryanto]

5. This is an interesting case

As others have pointed out many Abrahamic religions share some aspects of this separation. So I guess the question is should the President be visiting any Church? Should he only visit left wing churches who practice gender equality? Or is there something specific about Islam that makes it worse than other religions?

Bryant

[oberliner]

10. I agree

I think it would be great to highlight and celebrate the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim services that are more progressive and promote gender equality.

[Demonaut]

7. one visit to a mosque by a sitting president does not constitute acceptance..anything to bash Obama

[oberliner]

11. Obama was not "bashed" - gender inequality is a major issue

This is a good opportunity to address it in the context of patriarchal religious traditions.

If his only visit to a Jewish temple was to an orthodox one, or if his only visit to a church was to a similarly fundamentalist one, then the same analysis would be appropriate in my opinion.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Also, the President spoke against bigoted speech toward religion in a mosque whose Imam speaks

great bigotry toward LGBT, a trait that Imam shares with several Christian ministers Obama also offers tacit approval to. When people who constantly denigrate others get together to claim they are the victims and that they must never be criticized I see that as great hypocrisy if not an admission of supremacist attitudes ie 'we are allowed to speak hate against you but you must not even object to that hate speech'.

Homophobia and misogyny are two flavors of the same poison.

[FLPanhandle]

13. I'm disappointed he visited any religious institution

Besides being misogynistic, by definition, they are institutions promoting irrational thought.

As an atheist, I'm quite comfortable bashing Islam as being one of the worst of an overall group of bad religions.

Obama should not have gone.

[smirkymonkey]

16. I agree with every word you said.

I am so sick of this religious pandering.

[el_bryanto]

20. How many believers are there compared to atheists in the United States?

Does it bother you that Obama is a believer himself?

Bryant

[JPnoodleman]

14. As long as people are free to leave, is it a major issue?

I mean, people are free to believe what they will? If it violates no laws and nobody is being forced to stay? Errrr should we care?

Not saying it isn't a terrible practice but still?

[oberliner]

15. Are people free to leave?

Or are there consequences of leaving that make it impossible or at least extremely difficult to do so? Especially as a woman.

I know that is the case with Chasidic Jews - I would imagine it is similar here.

[smirkymonkey]

17. K&R