First woman to lead Muslim prayers angers traditionalists

Islamic history will be made in the heart of Oxford today when a woman Muslim scholar leads Friday prayers and delivers the khutba, or sermon, for the first time in Britain.

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"Literalists interpret the Hadith [the sayings of Prophet Muhammad] as implying a woman should never lead a community. But even within the Hadith there is a woman called Umm Waraqa whom the Prophet allowed to lead prayers in a household and to teach her neighbour. Though it recognises biological differences between men and women, the Koran absolutely specifies gender egalitarianism"

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Mokh-tar Badri, vice-president of the Muslim Association of Britain, said: "With all respect to sister Amina, prayer is something we perform in accordance to the teachings of our Lord. It has nothing to do with the position of women in society. It is not to degrade them. This is something divine, not human. We do it the way it has been ordained by God. Women can lead prayers before other women but before a congregation of men and women, a man must lead.

Full article:

http://www.independent.co.uk/......rs-traditionalists-964308.html

A woman can lead other women in prayer, but not in the presence of a man.

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as i know she can lead other women in Eid pray only , but she must stand in the same row of them

Do you have any sources? I haven´t heard the Eid-thing before.

As I´m informed it´s makruh for women to lead eachother in Hanafi. As for Shafi´i and Hanbali women can lead eachother at any time, but there are some rules. If there is three women, the leading must be in the middle, if they are more (or two), then the majority has to be to the right of the leading woman. I´m not sure about Maliki.

sorry

I meant Eid , bayram .

This has caused quite a stir by all acounts, but then no different from how women priests were first treated [in the UK] and now it is accepted.  I personally congratulate this women for taking a stand [yes a little bit of feminism creaping in there!]

 As a Shafi´i or Hanbali woman you can lead at anytime, but as Hanafi you can´t at all, as I see. Maybe it´s for Maliki they can do it?

 +10000

 I remember when I was a little girl only little boys could be alter servers (referred to as alter boys).  A few decades later, my son is an alter server with several young girls.  I am taking this as a sign that the catholic church can evolve and change (maybe female priests some day!!)....slowly but inevidably....I hope this happens for women in Islam.