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ruhafsa |
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ruhafsa Bronxville, NY |
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No bio submitted. Member since April 25, 2005
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| Dergah al-Farah: ★★★★ Beautiful mosque in a small building. It is easy to miss in the strip of small shops where it is nestled. Men and women prayer in the same small prayer space, men in the front, women in the back. There are a number of converts who attend. The vibe at this mosque is a welcoming, family feeling, even during Jumah when it is packed to the gills. Smiles and salaams are common here. The community holds dinners and other events on the floors above the prayer space. The second floor is also where the bathrooms are - they are clean, well-kept and attractive, in keeping with the rest of the masjid. Definitely a pleasant masjid to worship in. In response to the sister who mentioned feeling as if she needed to ask for separate, private prayer accomodations - the masjid space is very small, as is the entrance, so if one is concerned about being seen from behind in sujud, it is easy enough to make this difficult/unlikely by praying in the far corner (esp. in the first sisters' row). But in agreement with the sister, this is not a masjid that is set up to provide separate prayer space for sisters, instead they follow the Sunnah of men and women praying in the same space (women behind the men). (Submitted on December 12, 2007) |
| Imam Ali Centre: ★★★★ This Shia community mainly consists of converts to Islam, many of whom are of Caribbean origin. As such, the programs at this centre, and there are many, are in English. The community is very warm and welcoming and family-friendly/family centered. As a stranger, Sunni sister, I was warmly greeted by the other sisters and the brothers also gave salaams when they passed. Probably because most people here are converts there is a big emphasis on Islamic learning and deepening iman, etc. As part of that focus, as I mentioned before, there are always a lot of speakers coming to this community, halaqahs and classes - all in English. The space itself is a large simply decorated room in the larger Imam Ali Centre. (Submitted on October 2, 2007) |
| Salahuddin Islamic Centre: NR No, brother, the women's carpeting did not appear to have been replaced - old and quite grubby. (Submitted on March 17, 2006) |
| Islamic Society of Willowdale: ★★★★ Mosque is in an office townhouse, so the space is cut up into rooms (offices). Because of this it was difficult to get a sense of how the spaces are used - where the main prayer space is, etc. Mosque appears to occupy 3 levels of the townhouse. Women pray on the second floor, in what would have been a large office. Room is bare except for a few storage boxes. When I was there I heard but did not see men praying further down the hall on this floor. The 1st floor - entrance has a bulletin board filled with community messages and cubbies for shoes. There also seems to be a small prayer room off the entrance - but I did not actually go into this so I can't say for sure. The only person I saw when there was a 30 something South Asian man who directed me to the women's prayer room. Also saw an elderly South Asian man in salwar kameez leaving the mosque when I arrived. I had the feeling that I was being watched by the younger man while I was in the mosque - I couldn't tell if this was because they don't get many strangers, because I am not from the congregation's ethnic group or because I am a woman and they don't get many women attending the mosque. I certainly didn't feel like lingering. That said, the mosque is clean and well-appointed - for that alone it was above average. (Submitted on November 9, 2005) |
| Taric Islamic Centre: ★★★★ Went here for Eid prayers this year. The mosque building itself is lovely. The location of the mosque is less so, as it backs onto a major highway and is surrounded by parking lots and strip malls. But you don't notice any of that once you are inside. Instead it has subtle modern "Islamic architecture" muted colors - very suited to getting into a prayerful state of mind. For Eid women prayed downstairs so I didn't see the main hall. Everything was very orderly and the mosque volunteers were very polite and friendly. Mosque volunteers were mostly Indo-Caribbean Muslims as was the khattab at my Eid session (there were 3 that day). This is the first GTA mosque where I have seen large numbers of West African Muslims. Everywhere else the African contribution has been East and North African (Somalis, Sudanese, Egyptians, etc.). I also saw a fair number of Southeast Asian Muslims (Malays, Indonesians, etc.). (Submitted on November 5, 2005) |
| Noor Cultural Centre: NR Turns out that many of the attendees of this mosque are Indians from South Africa. (Submitted on November 1, 2005) |
| Imam Mahdi Islamic Center: ★★★★ This is a large, well designed masjid. The prayer space is divided down the middle by moveable partitions (like the kind used to form office cubicles). Men pray on the right, women on the left. I went there for an interfaith program - so there were Sunnis, Shia, Jews and Christians in attendance. The way the room is set up made it possible for both men and women to see the speakers with equal ease without having to see one another. The walls of the main space are decorated with vividly colored photos of famous masajid. There is also a separate room devoted to stylized models of masajid. The wall leading to the mihrab is decorated with the kalima in gold plus Ali's and Fatima Zahra's names. When I was there there was a large banner also hanging there that read "Live like Ali (a.s.), die like Hussain (a.s.)." There are prayer garments as well as clay seals available for anyone who wants to use them for prayer. This was my second or third time in a Shia mosque - everyone at this one was really welcoming and helpful. Most of the mosque regulars are South Asian (from the Khoja community). It's not a hardcore hijabi group - sort of half and half. The resident maulana who spoke as part of the program was eloquent and insightful - even though I don't think he is a native speaker his English was excellent. The basement of the masjid (a large space) is used for children's and youth programs. The night I was there they had a well-attended Qur'an reading competition for girls. Upstairs there was one for boys as well. Later that night they were having a sleep-over women's program. In short, this seems like a very active mosque. (Submitted on November 1, 2005) |
| Islamic Society of Richmond Hill: ★★★★ This is a tiny mosque community. When I was there there were maybe 30 brothers present. It's located in a basement space in a small strip mall. When I walked down the stairs I was suprised to find such a small masjid and no sisters. But the brothers were very warm and welcoming and offered me a clean, decent sized room to pray in - I think they usually use it for storage and as a coat room. When it was time to break fast someone brought me a plate of yummy appetizers and a cup of juice. For iftar, again someone brought me a plate - this time fried chicken and fries. I didn't really interact with any of the brothers. They gave me my space. But as I said before they were very welcoming and considerate of me all the same. I don't know whether this mosque is only for one ethnic community - I don't even know whether this is a Sunni or Shia mosque. If I were a brother and lived in this area, I might consider attending this mosque. How we treat strangers is really important. (Submitted on November 1, 2005) |
| Salahuddin Islamic Centre: ★★★ Women pray in a balcony overlooking the main (men's) prayer space. It's a long, narrow space. When I was there it wasn't enough space for all of the women who wanted to pray and sisters ended up praying on the landing and stairs next to it. You can hear what is going on below but cannot see any of it unless you are right up close to the balcony. Grubby carpeting could use a steam cleaning or replacement. The balcony is walled in with thin plexiglass - solidly constructed but not that attractive. The space below is several times larger - kind of like a high school gym. Decoration in both spaces is sparse. Sister's balcony contains a bookshelf, stuffed with books. The mosque building is very large, encompassing an Islamic school and gymnasium space as well as prayer rooms. The attendees in the women's section when I was there were largely Somali and Arab. Okay, mosque but not the best space or access for sisters and very well-worn. (Submitted on November 1, 2005) |
| Masjid al-Jamia: NR This is in response to the sister's post because she is a new Muslima. Find another masjid to attend where you will not be shamed when you come to pray - to turn you away from prayer is a serious matter. Insha'Allah this conduct did not in any way erode your iman and you are still striving in Islam. When you attend another masjid and are actually allowed to pray you will notice sisters wearing a variety of clothing styles appropriate for prayer. If Masjid al-Jamia has a rule about exactly what a sister should wear (in this case, a minimum $40 - because this is what they cost - jilbab or abaya) with an attendant gatekeeper deciding who can pray and who cannot then they should provide outergarments enough for every sister who wants to pray there. (Submitted on August 28, 2005) |
| Masjidul-Furqaan & Islaamic Centre: NR This is a hardcore (self-identified) Salafi group. They always have a lot of classes and lectures going on at the centre. (Submitted on August 26, 2005) |
| Baitul Mukaram Islamic Society: ★ NOT A MASJID FOR WOMEN. I had a horrible, humiliating experience when I went there today for jummah. I followed the sign that indicated that women pray on the lower level. In the basement there were a number of small carpeted rooms that looked as if they also serve as classroom space. There were quite a few brothers down there - so I chose an unoccupied room. Women obviously do not usually come here, not surprising given the demographics of the mosque. Many of the men looked really startled to see me. One brother was really helpful to me, alhamdullilah and patiently answered my questions about the mosque. Things went downhill when he directed me to the designated women's prayer area - a small, dank room in a corner of the basement that smelled heavily of mildew. Half of the room was taken up by trash - construction debris, an old soiled prayer cap, various plastic bags - real trash. What horrible conditions for prayer - the awful smell, the mound of trash right next to me as I made my salat, the inability to hear (the room seemed as if it was once a bank vault or something like that; it even had a metal door). Nevertheless, I thought, I had walked this far and would endure it this time. Having bad allergies though I was not able to continue to sit in the mildew cell before prayer actually started. Instead I sat just outside of the room. I figured that even if this was an ultra-conservative mosque that this should not disturb anyone since 1) I was heavily covered and 2) my only "companions" were little boys also waiting for the prayer to begin. What made me think that? Soon an officious brother appeared and told me to get back into the room that there were "People passing by"- God forbid they should see a heavily covered woman. I told him about the trash and the smell - he said he would get a fan - which I thought would only make things worse. I thanked him and started to leave. As I left, the brother who had helped me initially asked if I was leaving and listened to what I had to say about the "accomodations." He recommended that I go to Sunnatul Jamaat which he said was not far away and even told me which bus to take from where we were. Thank God for that brother!! Other than the brother trying to shove me into that nasty little room he was the only one who bothered with me at all. If you are a Bengali speaking brother you may find the experience of Baitul Mukaram wonderful - it was packed to the gills with brothers - SISTERS STAY AWAY. (Submitted on August 26, 2005) |
| Sunnatul Jamaat of Ontario: ★★★★ This mosque is in a converted warehouse/loading dock facility. As such, it is a huge building. Half of the building is devoted to prayer space - the other half to kitchens, the mosque office and as yet undefined open space. It is obvious that they are still renovating the building. There is minimal decor in the prayer spaces - white walls and striped green carpeting. Most of the people who attend this mosque have origins in the subcontinent. The core are Guyanese and Trinidadians whose ancestors came from India, but I also caught snippets of Urdu and Bengali being spoken. The women's prayer area is about 1/4 of the men's but this being a huge building, that is a lot of space. It is clean and bright and looks to be the equivalent of the men's prayer space. There is actually more natural light in the woman's area because it has more windows. The men and women are separated by a drywall wall about 6 feet tall. So, as a woman it is not possible to see any of what is going on in the men's prayer area although the khutba is quite audible. There are TVs set up, I assume to allow women to see what is going on - but while they were on when I was there the video camera that feeds them was not being operated so they displayed only static. The khutba was in English, alhamdullilah, and the duas were in English and Arabic. After prayer, a Pakistani couple sold perfumes, headscarfs, abayas, Islamic tapes and books, etc. from a table in the large, open common area. Women from the community sold various curries and boxes of Popeye's chicken. Water was available for the thirsty from large filtered water coolers and a drinking fountain. The bath/wudu rooms were rudimentary but clean. There is no wheelchair ramp but there is only a small step up into the building which is all on one level. So, if you can get someone to help you with the one step you can access everything else from there easily. Nice comfortable space for sisters, if you do not mind not being able to see. (Submitted on August 26, 2005) |
| Islamic Center of America: ★★★★ This mosque is actually on Ford Road - the old masjid was on Joy Road. It is difficult to get to, especially at night. My husband and I could see it, since as you can see from the picture it is impressive and dominates everything around it, but could not get to it for some time (it's located on a weird little offshoot of the Ford Road parkway). Hard to explain. Anyway, it was well worth the hunt, the masjid is beautiful inside and out and brand new. Marble, brass and plush carpets everywhere inside. The main prayer space is round - a circular corridor wraps around it. Men's and women's wudu/bathroom space radiates off this. This space is wonderful and very clean - they have spray attachments for cleaning oneself in each bathroom stall and the wudu area is really well appointed, too.
Women pray in the main space behind the men - though there is a separate, comfortable, lovely balcony area for those women who want to pray separately. There are signs throughout the masjid reminding people to dress Islamically and directing them to things/services they might need. A lot of attention has obviously been given to designing a beautiful, comfortable and functional masjid. Prayer garments for women are available in niches all around the main and balcony prayer spaces for women who want to use them. Prayer beads and (since this is a Shia mosque) prayer tablets are available at the prayer space entrances. There are Qur'ans available downstairs and upstairs (more downstairs) - unfortunately there did not seem to be any translations. We came just after Isha jamah. Praying in this mosque was a really peaceful, centering experience. Although we are Sunni (and so pray differently from the Shia congregation) no one hassled us and in fact people were very welcoming. One sister who didn't speak English clasped my hand and smiling gave her salaams. A nice place to worship if you are Shia or not focused on the Sunni-Shia schism. (Submitted on July 23, 2005) |
| Al-Farooq Masjid: ★★★★ This community is in the process of building a new mosque. It looks as if they have finished the parking structure so far. Men and women pray in the same room with a divider (wrought iron folding screens with cloth panels). From the women's side you can only see through to the other side if you are very close to a gap in the dividers. Women's space is about a fourth of the room and looks to be as clean as the men's space. The masjid library (several bookshelves) is on the men's side - inaccessible to women. The men's wudu area includes seating, spigots, etc. The women must make do with a handicapped bathroom. Because there is only one of these there was a line to make wudu before the prayer and I missed the beginning of the jamah. The bathroom was not the cleanest - one sister warned me not to wear my socks in there. Insha'Allah in the new masjid women will get their fair share in terms of toilet/wudu facilities and books.
People at the masjid were friendly although it is obviously one of those masjids where men do not usually give salaams to women - I did manage however, to get a brother to look for my husband when it was time to go. At some other conservative masajid I would have had to search out a child to do this for me.
That said this masjid has excellent halaqas. Apparently, every Sunday, they hold simultaneous male and female halaqas. The female halaqa is in the community room adjacent to the prayer space, the men's is held in the prayer space (some women sit in on this from behind the women's partition). The women's halaqa I attended was excellent - the tafsir we considered really helped to bring out the deep meaning of the Qur'anic surahs we studied. The sisters seemed earnest and eager to deepen their faith. The halaqa seems to be broken into two parts - the first part Qur'an/tafsir focused and the second more shariah/aqidah based. My husband reported that the brother's halaqa was also excellent and touched on important themes. I would attend this masjid, for the halaqa (particularly the tafsir portion) alone, if we lived in Atlanta. (Submitted on July 23, 2005) |
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