The fearless Muslim women of West Virginia, from whom we have heard positive things in the past, are standing up for their rights. While the mistreatment of Muslim women is distinct from the mistreatment of non-Muslim dhimmis in Islamic law, this is a positive example of the Sharia being confronted by universal ideas of human rights — a welcome development for dhimmis and prospective dhimmis everywhere. From IANS:
Seven prominent Muslim women in the US are launching a national organisation and campaign in Morristown, West Virginia, Friday to ensure that women are not deprived of the right to pray inside mosques.
The group is first holding a conference titled ‘The Daughters of Hajar: A New Generation of American Muslim Women Speak,’ sponsored by the West Virginia University Centre for Women’s Studies. …
They will then walk peacefully to a local mosque, enter through the front door and pray in the main hall, the organisers said.
“This conference of Muslim women will have a historic impact and help us re-script the current history and face of Islam,” said Amina Wadud, professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Hajar, known as Hagar in the Bible, was the historical mother of Islam and a symbol of a woman’s strength, the organisers said.
“The Daughters of Hajar is bravely tackling traditions and taboos that deny women rights that Islam gives them,” Sajida Nomani, one of seven the organisers, said.
“Their work will make the world a better place,” said Nomani, a retired entrepreneur and president of rights group Morgantown Muslims and Friends.
The other participants are activist-poet Nabeelah Abdul-Ghafur, author Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, novelist Samina Ali, author-activist Sarah Eltantawi, Arkansas professor Mohja Kahf and author-journalist Asra Q. Nomani.
Six months ago, Morgantown became a powerful symbol of Muslim women’s rights in the US when Sajida Naomi and other women walked through the front door of the local mosque.
They prayed in the main hall of the mosque, saying they were reclaiming the rights Islam gave women in the 7th century.
Mosque leaders had asked the women to enter through a back door and pray in a balcony – a position that was subsequently reversed by the board.