Reflections

Could you hear the ways in which women experience the sacred spaces of mosques differently than men? Instead of just reading about the differences and seeing images, how did it feel to actually hear the visceral differences in the aural experience of worship?

Does sharing this experience help reinforce stereotypes about gender segregation and the treatment of women in Islam? Or does it help bring more nuance to the understanding of the use of space in mosques? Can you sit with the discomfort of the sounds of women being treated differently than men in sacred spaces? What thoughts come to mind? The sounds of Islamic prayers are beautiful and moving, so how does one’s impression of them change when hearing them from different spots in the mosque?