The Muslim women opened themselves to questions, and the first question was why the men and women entered different parts of the mosque to worship separately. While the women explained that the prayers required bowing, hence uncomfortable positions to perform with males in the room, I was still shocked by the gender segregation. The women place of worship was separated by flights of stairs, a separate elevated level, and glass windows, seeming very distant from the men. Additionally, women are encouraged to stay home with the children so as not to inconvenience them to drive to the mosque while men are encouraged to attend the mosque prayer whenever possible. Thus, there were noticeably more men worshipping than men, and the children are encouraged to stay with their mothers until they reach ten years of age. These assumed roles for genders surprised me the most because I imagine a religious space as a unified place of worship where sex is
The Muslim women opened themselves to questions, and the first question was why the men and women entered different parts of the mosque to worship separately. While the women explained that the prayers required bowing, hence uncomfortable positions to perform with males in the room, I was still shocked by the gender segregation. The women place of worship was separated by flights of stairs, a separate elevated level, and glass windows, seeming very distant from the men. Additionally, women are encouraged to stay home with the children so as not to inconvenience them to drive to the mosque while men are encouraged to attend the mosque prayer whenever possible. Thus, there were noticeably more men worshipping than men, and the children are encouraged to stay with their mothers until they reach ten years of age. These assumed roles for genders surprised me the most because I imagine a religious space as a unified place of worship where sex is