4 February, Doha – Al Mujadilah: Center and Mosque for Women opened its doors to the community on Sunday in an event that highlighted the building facilities, introduced instructors, staff, and programs to give guests a taste of what the center offers.   

Members of the public were welcomed to experience Al-Mujadilah’s library, gathering spaces, café, and gardens, all of which are open for public use alongside its women’s mosque.

Attendees were also able to sample Al-Mujadilah’s social, developmental, religious and research programs through short classes and group activities. The classes explored the interconnectedness of the mind, body and soul in Islamic tradition. As part of the Islamic law session, led by Executive Director, Dr. Sohaira Siddiqui, participants were invited to examine hadith (statements attributed to the Prophet PBUH) pertaining to women, to understand its context, its utility, and its relevance to the contemporary lives of women in today’s world.

In another session attendees explored the historically significant contributions of Muslim women, from their political and economic participation to their intellectual engagements and influential assertions of power. The session also examined how narratives about women in Islamic history have been built and authored, and the various currents from Orientalism to colonialism that affect how women’s stories are told.

Dr. Siddiqui, commented, “Our programming was designed as the result of many focus groups that we had with Muslim women in Qatar, which helped us identify four main needs: the need to build community, the need for deeper religious understanding, the need for overall Muslim women’s well-being and the need to intellectually engage with contemporary issues. We designed programs for public education around these four areas, the social, the religious, the developmental and the research, with the ultimate goal of addressing the multifaceted needs of Muslim women.” 

Kholood Nooh, Programs and Impact Specialist at Al-Mujadilah, added “All our learning spaces have been designed in a way that facilitates conversation and discussion, which are key to all of our programming, because we want to have Muslim woman continuously engaged. You can register for our programming online at almujadilah.qa, and we really hope that Muslim womentake advantage of the range of programs that we're offering. Registration is open o and programming will begin on the sixth of February until the end of April, with a total of 30 different programs to choose from.”

In addition to community programs and activities, Al-Mujadilah will open avenues to Islamic learning, research and the study of historical and contemporary Islam. One of its key features is a library with an extensive collection covering Islamic history, the history of women, and a collection of fiction and nonfiction books by Muslim female authors. Al-Mujadilah will have two book clubs that are always running; a book club in Arabic and one in English which will feature conversations with authors. 

Al-Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women is founded by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, with the aim of reinforcing Islamic identity among Muslim women and creating a space for their active participation in public debate and enriching contemporary Islamic discourse. While scheduled programming begins on February 6, women can also visit the center without registering for a program between 10am and 8pm to enjoy the public facilities. More information on the Center and Mosque, including a full list of programs and activities can be found at www.almujadilah.qa.