DOHA: Al Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women, Member of Qatar Foundation is a hub for Muslim women in Qatar during the holy month of Ramadan, as it combines worship, learning and research, in an environment that celebrates the role of women and provides them with space for growth and development.
Executive Director of Al Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women Dr. Sohaira Siddiqui has said the Center has organised over 100 programmes and activities since its opening last year. She emphasised that the center will continue offering a diverse range of religious, developmental, and social programs during the holy month of Ramadan.
Dr. Siddiqui in an interview with QNA has explained that the programs offered include rigorous courses for memorising the Holy Quran, reflections on its chapters, and studying selected Hadiths, in addition to providing support to Muslim women who are new to Islam.
She added that the center provides an opportunity for women and girls to perform Tarawih prayers, as it receives Muslim women aged nine years and above, and organizes women only Qiyam al-Layl prayers in the last ten days of the holy month. Friday prayers are also held at the mosque, led by one of the imams of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, and are available to both men and women, in addition to organizing a special Iftar for female university students on the twentieth of March.
Regarding the target audience of the Ramadan programs, Dr. Suhaira Siddiqui said that the programs target Muslim women in Qatar, and are promoted through the center’s website and social media channels, especially on Instagram and WhatsApp groups, to ensure reaching the largest possible number of beneficiaries.
She explained that the center seeks to provide comprehensive and diverse programs that address women’s needs, as religious programs include courses in memorizing and contemplating the Holy Quran and the Noble Hadith, while development programs focus on developing personal and life skills, such as character building, physical and psychological health, education and motherhood.
Al Mujadilah Center and Mosque also seeks to strengthen community ties between women through purposeful social events and meetings, stressing the importance of carefully selecting content to ensure that what benefits every woman in society is provided.
As for the center’s role in addressing both historical and contemporary Islamic issues, the Executive Director explained that Al Mujadilah includes a research department dedicated to these topics. The centre attracts Muslim female scholars and researchers from around the world to discuss issues relevant to Muslim women, particularly during the annual Jadal Summit, which aims to provide a platform for interactive dialogue and the exchange of ideas among academic researchers.
Dr. Siddiqui emphasized that this approach fosters the development of research networks, supporting collaboration among specialists in various fields.
This, in turn, helps address shared challenges and strengthens the role of Muslim women in contemporary Islamic thought and scientific research.
