Why do women have to be seperated from men in the masijid?

I have seen walls and curtains seperating women from men in masijids and I think it's ridiculous! If men and women are equal in Islam then why can't women and men pray together?

Public Comments

1. the women are to pray behind the men we cant have men praying behind women! what if one wasnt wearing a long enough prayer skirt! thats how it is. its our modesty
2. Fear of lusty thoughts. Fear of no control. Not having control of the brain to pray vs think about sex.
3. that's a good point but its so that we don't attract each other and so we can concentrate fully on prayer.
4. It is ridiculous...all of it.
5. dont know they make u cover youre body because they think you can get sxual even if youre unmarried. And I think they seperate because of that too. I honestly dont know the exact reason.
6. It prevents them getting distracted by one another.
7. obviously .. you aven't been to meka p.s. if i bend down i don't want some guy staring at me while doing so p.s.2 .. i was walking and this guy was praying .. when i turned his direction i saw him staring at me while he's in the middle of his prayer .. that gives you another reason for not mixing both genders at preyer time .. it needs FOCUS Baby Meka .. TRUE sis!!
8. Sister, men and women are separated so that they could focus mainly on worshipping Allah (SWT) so as to avoid distractions. Imagine if the prayer gets to the prostration part? Don't you think it might lead to other thinkings?? EDIT: To XOM07: I think you never saw how a prayer is done in Islam. It's not like you just sit and talk to God. We pray to God in the most humble position which is prostration. I don't think it would be comfortable for women that men would see them in this position so basically, it's still for the protection of women =) EDIT: Oh come on let's be realistic, even if it's the 21c, you cannot deny that it could be a cause for distraction especially for men. Don't be hypocrites...
9. Baby Mika Syed- that is some warped perverted thinking...or maybe I'm just too innocent. I'm a 22 year old guy, but NEVER if i saw a woman praying would i think...tut tut. honestly... i think sometimes islam can be quite sexist about men...most of the time its true...but sometimes...even things i dont think about lol. Edit- next time i see a woman praying, I'm going to have to close my eyes lol. See what you've done to me! O my innocent little eyes! O noooo. (sorry) Baby Mika- I am muslim myself so i know about prayer...lol. I just think you must have a much more...mature mind than me to know how men think. Good for you Willow- OK, but everyone does know how men think. it's natural, and we have to protect against that, which is what Islam tries to do. Baby Mika- i think i must be one of those post-modern type men, who don't go around collecting wood for the fire, and spit, and chew tobacco. I understand though that it must be uncomfortable for a woman to pray in front in men for those reasons. I suppose if i was praying and there was a girl around me, i would be self-conscious about the girl watching me. It would definitely distract me from prayer so so i can understand. but only after you've put those dirty thoughts in my head lol.
10. good question which you answered yourself there is no equality between the sexes in islam
11. i agree with mika and also for the privacy of the woman,, say a woman has to breast feed her child & she wears hijab ,,she would feel uncomfortable to have to breastfeed infront all the men.. *so that we could focus only on prayer when we go to the masjid *for the privacy of the women *for their comfort
12. I asked my husband this too and he replied it's so men can focus on their prayers and God and that women don't have to go to the mosque to pray since they have daily chores such as raising a family etc...
13. Your right, it is totally sexist. Those who advocate that it is for modesty or to prevent men from being distracted by lustful thoughts, what bunkum. Were I a Muslim male I would be insulted that my brain was thought incapable of focusing on prayer simply because a female was doing the same thing as me! Really, come on, this is the 21c.
14. hi well you know if you wont respect you religion plz dont go on other religion you dont have any rights . and about the answer a lady given quite good answer so its ok afraid of God and Belive in ONE GOD that is only ALLAH. or otherwise show humanity towards all religions if you cannt do that. byee.
15. In Islam, men and women are NOT equal. Men have their roles and responsibilities; women too have their separate roles and responsibilities. Women have been created by Allah to be the weaker of the two sexes. And women too bear that special impetus to tempt men, and can cause distraction (both the visual as well as the mental type) during the prayer ritual in the masjid. Generally the congregation in the masjid consists of men and women who are NOT mahrams to one another. So it is important that all members of the congregation in the masjid devote special attention and focus towards the prayer they have to perform without any unwanted distraction. All focus should be directed to the act of submission and worship of Allah. Hence, women congregation is generally segregated from the men by either a curtain or a separate prayer room. It's not ridiculous at all, if you do understand Islam properly! I wonder if you're a Muslimah yourself, judging from your ignorance!
16. Hindu religious gatherings too (not so much cultural) separate the sexes for the same reasons. Nothing to do with equaolity The mind is extremely fluid and reqires controll at the best of times. It is simply being naive and underestimating the distracting power of the mind to come into physical contacts with opposite sex in places that are likely to get over croweded. After all in the most liberal socities, bathrooms for men and women are seperate. For what reason?
17. salaam.... so what comes here abt the inequality of sx... It is in the nature of men to be attracted to women, to stare when they see a female and to think immorally about her. While some women are happy to have lots of men oggling them, most feel uncomfortable. Therefore in a joint muslim gathering, in order to make women feel more comfortable and do whatever they like without any man's glare bothering them, they are given their privacy. Being free from male stares, women can dress the way they like. In any party, when women are dressed in figure hugging clothes or wear dresses that do no cover the whole body, do you think any male would not look, talk about and even fantasize about that woman? Is this moral? Also, women with small children have to breastfeed them too. Imagine, a woman breast feeding her baby....with men in the vicinity....would any red-blooded man NOT stare, not even steal a look? So to give women peace of mind, they are kept separate from men not because it is a cruelty but because men cannot be expected to NOT look, NOT think about immorally, NOT talk about the women they are in the same room with. And most women don't like that. In a mosque, men and women are not always separate. But women are advised to stand behind men in prayer because if women would stand infront, it is impossible to have 100% of the men keep their full concentration on the prayer itself or in the thought of God. In Islamic prayer, the Namaaz, one has to make several movements of the body, bending down to bow, prostrating, etc. Now imagine a woman bending down infront of a man....what would he be more interested in?....in his own bow or in the curves of the woman's body? He is bound to be distracted. So women stand behind so that men cannot look at them and both can offer prayer in peaceful concentration..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LUV ISLAM OR HATE ISLAM ITS STILL GONNA ***SHINE***.......
18. Jews seperate too. Just like us. Going to Mosque or as the Jews have, a Synagogue/shul, we don't go there to hold hands with our husbands, it is not a tv show we are attending. You will also be separated of u go to a Hindu or Buddhist temple.
19. As you all know, unnecessary mixing of men and women is prohibited in Islam as it can lead to things like fitnah, the arousing of desires, or committing indecency and wrongdoing. and if we fullfil below conditions we can pray without partition 1- Both parties should adhere to lowering the gaze. No lustful look should exist. Almighty Allah says: [Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest, and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order that ye may succeed.] (An-Nur: 30-31) 2- A Muslim woman should observe the Muslim code of dressing. The Muslim dress for women, as well-known, covers the whole body save for the face and the hands. It is neither tight nor light in a way that describes the features of the body. 3- General morality should be adhered to. In other words, a woman should be serious in speech and decent in way of walking, nipping any trial of Satan to spread immorality in the bud. Also, no perfumes are to be worn while being away from home, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Any woman who wears perfumes and then passes by a group of men and they smell it, she is an adulteress.” 4-No man and woman are allowed to be together in a place where no other males exist, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “(Doing so) their third mate will be Satan i.e. leading them to sin.” This applies also to the relatives of the husband as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Beware of sitting with women alone!” They (the Companions) said: “What about the relative of the husband, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “A relative of the husband is death i.e. the cause of death.” This is because a relative of a husband may stay for a long time and thus the danger of sin becomes greater. 5- Finally, we would like to note that all these contacts are not to be given loose rein. They are to be carried out according to need and reasonable interaction. Contacting men, no Muslim woman is allowed to forget about her nature or her role as a woman and instructor of all Muslim generations.
20. Divide and conquer! females at the back, better yet lock em up in a dungeon with no ventilation Muslim females should shut up and put up with being second rated beings for the rest of their life .It's Allah's Will.