Muslim Women
By Larissa Metcalf

One woman’s experience during her first visit to a mosque.

When we first arrived at the Islamic Center of Fort Collins (ICFC), Eldad Sharon and I entered through the main doorway into a small mud room with shelves lining the walls where some shoes already sat. Following custom, I placed my shoes under the bottom-most shelf and I realized mine were the only women’s shoes.

We were shown inside by Philip Howard, the vice-president of the ICFC. He showed us into the large, airy prayer area where large windows let sunlight stream in. There were cords strung across the carpet acting as directional aides towards Mecca when praying. After I realized I was the only woman, a man came up to me and politely explained that women usually pray in the basement to allow everyone their own worship space without feeling uncomfortable. As Howard’s wife, Monique Cover, later told me, “They separate the women and the men…so that people can concentrate on their prayers. People aren’t looking around at other people.”

I left the men’s worship space and found myself in another mud room with a staircase on my left. In the women’s prayer space, the lines to denote the direction of Mecca were again present but this time, they were drawn onto the green carpet with a Sharpie. The ICFC website describes the space, saying it “threatens the lives of the sisters and children that use its deteriorating basement for prayer.”

As soon as I stepped into the room, an older woman greeted me and showed me to a seat against the wall. When I sat down, there were only four women in the room. As more arrived, they would first take a moment to pray in the middle of the room and then move to one of the walls to find a seat.

When a voice suddenly crackled over a speaker, everyone went quiet as we listened to the half Arabic, half English speech that was given. During the 30 minute service, the women sat reverently while their children were allowed to play as they wished. At the end, the signal was given for everyone to stand and participate in the group prayer. As the women stood up, the sound of the men standing upstairs sounded like the rumble of thunder.

After a few minutes of prayer, the service was over. With the signal of the end, the women turned and properly greeted one another. After being warmly greeted myself by some of the women, I took my leave to go meet Sharon upstairs.