Al Mujadilah Center Attracts Growing Community Of Women

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fazeena Saleem | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Since its opening in February 2024, the Al Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women has seen an overwhelmingly positive response, with nearly 20,000 visitors and growing engagement across its programmes.

Offering a variety of religious, developmental, and social learning opportunities, the centre has attracted women from diverse backgrounds.

The Al Mujadilah Centre and Mosque for Women was established by H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser with the purpose of empowering Muslim women by strengthening their Islamic identity. Its goal is to create a Muslim community where women are actively involved, their contributions and participation are valued, and their voices are heard.

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The centre seeks to ensure that the concerns and viewpoints of women play a key role in shaping modern Islamic thought and contribute to public discussions.

Officials at the Al Mujadilah Center shared insights into the programmes and activities in correspondence with The Peninsula.

“Our programmes are well attended with waiting lists for several of our spring term programmes. You can find women coming to Al Mujadilah regularly to pray and study in our mosque, read in our library, work from our shared spaces and café or meet friends in our gardens,” said Ameena Ali A Ahmadi, Programming Manager at the Al Mujadilah Center.

“Our community has expanded with more than 1400 women who attended the recent Fall 2024 programmes and public lectures. Our programmes have attracted women of all ages and backgrounds, and we are grateful for the large community of volunteers who support us. The interaction among generations has been profound and heartening and we are overwhelmed by the positive feedback from women who visit the centre – whether for a quick coffee or prayer or on-going study and self-development,” she added.

The library at the Al Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women.

The Al Mujadilah Center provides women with accessible, dynamic, tailored, and relevant learning opportunities to help them build learning communities, explore contemporary issues, and promote positive personal, familial, and societal change. It focuses on three main areas of learning: religious, developmental, and social.

The Fall 2024 programmes such as those focused on understanding the Quran, the role of Muslim women in times of conflict, and interactive journaling on the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH have drawn large crowds.

“As we transition into 2025, a full list of our Spring 2025 programmes is now available on our website and offers new and returning courses including Quran and its Excellence: Hifth (English and Arabic), Introduction to Tadabbur: Contemplations on Surah Al Fatihah, Women's Participation in Islamic Studies, Majlis Al Mujadilah in Arabic – just to name a few,” said Ahmadi.

The Center's open space is accessible to all women in Doha, offering areas for prayer, study, social gatherings, and personal reflection. Interested participants can visit the Center or sign up for programmes through the website, where both free and paid courses are listed.

“You can join us daily at prayer times, attend one of our public lectures or open events, grab a coffee with a friend, work remotely, and walk around our inside and outside spaces – there are countless opportunities at Al Mujadilah for connection, reflection, learning and inspiration. Information is available at our reception desk, and you are welcome to speak to a member of staff on-site to find out more,” said Raana E Smith, Head of Events and Outreach at Al Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women.

The Center also boasts a well-curated library with books focused on Islam, Muslim women, and related social, political, and cultural issues, available for exploration from 8am to 8pm daily.

“Our library is a carefully selected collection of books about Islam, and on Muslim women, books that tackle legal, social, political and social issues as they relate to women, both historically as well as contemporarily. The book collection offers a wide variety of topics that affect Muslim women around the world,” said Tarfa Al Mansouri, Research Analyst at Al Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women.

Looking ahead, the Al Mujadilah Center will host the annual Jadal Women's Research Dialogue from January 26-28, 2025, focusing on“Muslim Women in Public Life.” This event will feature contributions from over 194 researchers exploring the historical, legal, and cultural perspectives of Muslim women's roles in public life.

“Our first annual theme is: Muslim Women in Public Life. We want to ask how Muslim women's engagement in public life has developed over the centuries; what have been the various ways in which Muslim women have contributed; and what are the challenges and opportunities; what are the religious, social and cultural debates around Muslim women in public life,” said Al Mansouri.

Al Mujadilah Center is open Sunday to Thursday between 8am to 8pm, Saturdays 10am to 6pm, and Fridays for Jumah prayer 10.30am to 1.30pm.

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