What is The Women’s Mosque of America?

The Women’s Mosque of America is the nation’s first women-led Muslim house of worship. We are a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that uplifts the entire Muslim community by empowering Muslim women and girls through more direct access to Islamic scholarship and leadership opportunities. The Women’s Mosque of America provides a safe space for women to feel welcome, respected, and actively engaged within the Muslim Ummah (community). Our work complements existing mosques, offering opportunities for women to grow, learn, and gain inspiration to spread throughout their respective communities. 

The Women’s Mosque of America currently provides monthly women-led Friday jumma’a prayer services for women and children (including boys 12 & under). In addition, we provide women-led programming, events, and classes open to all genders that increase community access to female Muslim scholars and female perspectives on Islamic knowledge and spirituality. 

Since our first jumma’a in January 2015, we have trained 250+ Muslim women to deliver a khutbah (sermon), recite the adthan (call to prayer), lead prayer, or take up a position of leadership in a mosque for the first time in their lives, alhamdulillah — all thanks and praises are due to God alone.

Why was this created? Why is it important?

As a child, our founder made a secret dua (prayer) to build her dream mosque as her sadaqa jariyah (charity that keeps giving). As an adult, her vision for this dream mosque changed direction when she learned about the lost history of tens of thousands of Muslim women scholars and religious leaders in the earliest few hundred year of Islam. Today, The Women’s Mosque of America works toward sparking and retaining a revival in Muslim women’s religious leadership of the Ummah — as it was always intended to be. We firmly believe that in order to uplift the Muslim community, we must harness the potential of the whole Ummah, including Muslim women, who make up more than half of our community. The Women’s Mosque of America provides a platform for Muslim women to speak and be heard through their rightful framework of religious leadership, and we play an important role in strengthening the Ummah by increasing women’s access to Islamic knowledge, encouraging female participation in mosques, and fostering female leaders and scholars for the benefit of the entire community. 

The Women’s Mosque of America is not just a mosque — it’s a movement. 

To learn about the entire origin story behind our mosque’s creation, you can read an in-depth interview with our founder here.

Besides jumma’a services, what other activities do you have at The Women’s Mosque of America?

The Women’s Mosque of America organizes a wide range of women-led classes, events, and programs relating to Islamic scholarship, spirituality, community health, and leadership. Our work is largely focused on the values of middle-ground pluralism, intra-faith community building, and holistic Qur’an literacy and comprehension. As our congregation and volunteer pool increases, we look forward to creating more programming that reflects the growing needs of our congregation. You can apply to join our team here.

Are men allowed to participate in women-led prayer services organized by The Women’s Mosque of America?

No. All women-led prayers at The Women’s Mosque of America are exclusively for women and children, including boys 12 and under. This is so that women have a safe space to explore growing and learning out of the public eye — in the same way that women’s gyms and women’s colleges provide safe spaces for women to learn amongst their peers. While men are not allowed to participate in our Friday jumma’a prayer services, men can still benefit greatly from hearing Muslim women deliver khutbahs through our YouTube, iTunes, and SoundCloud pages. We encourage men who support our mission and cause to sign up for our newsletter to get updates on co-ed events that we organize for the entire community. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to receive our main updates. If you’d like to connect with our community and join in our discussions after each jumma’a, you can request to join our private Women’s Mosque of America Supporters page on Facebook. Finally, we welcome men to support our mission by participating as volunteers, planning committee members, board members, and monthly donors.

What school of thought does The Women’s Mosque of America follow?

The Women’s Mosque of America is a non-denominational mosque that welcomes Muslims from every sect, school of thought, Islamic perspective, and level of religious practice. We pride ourselves on being an intra-faith Muslim house of worship that celebrates and encourages a culture of middleground pluralism and mutual respect. We believe that our community’s diversity is a beautiful sign of Mercy from God and that the true test of our faith is how we treat one another. We ask Allah to bless, protect, and guide us all. Ameen.

Is there a dress code to attend The Women’s Mosque of America Friday jumma’a prayer services?

No. The Women’s Mosque of America is dedicated to creating a safe space for all women. We encourage women to enter our mosque in the type and style of clothing in which they feel comfortable. Because we seek to create a welcoming and supportive environment, we ask that all of our congregants respect the decisions made by their sisters in Islam. As a community, we direct our focus to matters beyond women’s fashion; instead, we elevate the conversation to focus on our connection to God and to one another.

While I agree that Muslim women need more empowerment in American mosques, won’t this divide the community?

No. Much like a women’s college or a women’s gym, The Women’s Mosque of America complements existing mosques and Muslim organizations, and we work with Muslim institutions all over the country to improve spiritual experiences for Muslim women everywhere. Our goal is for women to take the knowledge, inspiration, and religious leadership skills they learn at The Women’s Mosque of America back to their respective communities and local mosques to make them even better.

I’m a Muslim woman and I feel comfortable with my current mosque experience. What does The Women’s Mosque of America provide that I can’t experience anywhere else?

Similar to the concept of a women’s college, The Women’s Mosque of America provides an atmosphere in which Muslim women are surrounded by their peers and feel comfortable exploring more active leadership roles in a comfortable, safe space. Our goal is for women to take the knowledge and leadership skills they learn at The Women’s Mosque of America back to their respective communities and local mosques.

Is this the first women’s mosque to ever exist?

No. Women’s mosques have existed throughout Muslim history, and hundreds of women’s mosques still exist and operate today in China as well as a smaller number in other countries around world – each with a religious perspective that reflects its own country’s culture, politics, and history. Watch our panel discussion on women’s mosques around the world — with special focus on Syria, China, and Yemen — here.

Does The Women’s Mosque of America ever plan to allow men at prayer services in the future?

No. Women-led prayer services organized by The Women’s Mosque of America are and always will be for women and children (including boys 12 & under) only. A women-only school or gym wouldn’t change the rules, and neither would we. Offering and protecting an all-women prayer service is a core part of our mission that will not change.

Who will give the khutbahs and lead the prayers?

The Women’s Mosque of America invites a rotating roster of women imams and khateebahs in order to offer diverse perspectives from a wide range of scholars — as well as to open up opportunities for women who may not have previously received a chance to speak in front of a Muslim audience within a religious capacity. We celebrate the talented and diverse pool of Muslim women speakers in our country, and we also offer training and workshops for our congregant members to learn how to deliver a khutbah and lead a congregation in prayer. Since our first jumma’a in January 2015, we have trained 150+ Muslim women to deliver a khutbah (sermon), recite the adthan (call to prayer), lead prayer, or take up a position of leadership in a mosque for the first time in their lives, alhamdulillah — all thanks and praises are due to God alone.

How can men benefit from The Women’s Mosque of America?

We understand that those who are not able to attend our prayer services would like access to learning from our female scholars, in accordance with historical Islamic tradition. With that in mind, The Women’s Mosque of America provides opportunities to learn from women Muslim religious figures outside of the context of jumma’a prayer by offering other events, classes, and programming — sometimes in collaboration with other organizations. Men can also benefit from hearing Muslim women deliver khutbahs through our YouTube, iTunes, and SoundCloud pages. We encourage men to sign up for our newsletter to get updates on co-ed events that we organize for the entire Ummah.

Who is behind The Women’s Mosque of America?

The Women’s Mosque of America is proud to be supported by a diverse group of passionate volunteers spread across the country. Read about the people who make The Women’s Mosque of America’s work possible on our Meet Our Team page.

Why was the first jumma’a held in a multi-faith religious center?

The Muslim Ummah has a long history of peaceful relations between the Abrahamic religions, from the Treaty of Hudaibiya (the world’s first interfaith peace treaty) to The Golden Ages in Islamic Spain. To honor this beautiful legacy, we launched our first jumma’a service at a multi-faith religious center. Additionally, The Women’s Mosque of America holds Friday jumma’a prayer services only once a month and does not intend to be an alternative competitor to existing mosques. Our founder chose a multi-faith space over other options like conference rooms, school gyms, or community centers, because she felt it was the best way to give Muslim women a dignified and beautiful mosque-going experience that would inspire and uplift them spiritually.

I’m having a hard time figuring out if this is a progressive or a conservative space…which is it?

Neither. The Women’s Mosque of America is an inclusive, pluralistic middleground space that welcomes Muslims across the spectrum of beliefs and practices within our vast Ummah. We respect the Islamic orthodoxy and work within it; we also see room for growth and flexibility, namely in the arena of women’s fiqh and female scholarship.

Where does The Women’s Mosque of America get its financing?

We are a grassroots, volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit. We are currently in the process of raising enough funds to hire our first full-time employee. Your monthly recurring donations are what keep us running, as we get our funding entirely from small donors, volunteers, and supporters like you!

How can I help support The Women’s Mosque of America?

The Women’s Mosque of America is a grassroots organization that relies on the generous donations and contributions of volunteers. If you are interested in pledging a donation or signing up to be a recurring monthly donor, please visit our Donation page to make your contribution. If you would like to join our team or read about open positions, please visit our Join Our Team page. You can also support our cause by spreading awareness of our efforts on social media and by advocating for more Muslim women leaders, speakers, panels, and women-friendly spaces at your local mosques and Muslim organizations.

Finally, we sincerely ask for your most heartfelt duas and prayers, as none of our efforts would be possible without the ever-generous Mercy, Grace, and Blessings of Allah, The Almighty. May God bless and protect The Women’s Mosque of America, and may God allow us to uplift our Ummah and the world at large by empowering Muslim women and girls. Ameen.