Women’s Mosque of America: In the Founder’s Own Words

What are some hardships or backlashes you’ve experienced in founding the Women’s Mosque of America?


M. Hasna Maznavi: The overwhelming majority of responses have been extremely positive, much more so than we even expected. Before this project began, I was actually prepared for some sort of pushback or backlash, but it really hasn’t come.

Our Facebook page went from about 300 to 1,500 likes over a matter of a couple of days. It’s just been overwhelmingly positive and it’s amazing how many Muslim men, especially, have been reaching out with their support. The two men on our board wanted to join — one of them is the father of a young Muslim baby girl, and he really wants a safe space for her to grow closer to God.

Many Imams have actually even donated, and even reached out to us offering their own mosques. Right now we have three mosques that have offered for us to come and give a women-led, women-only Jumaah service, before their regular scheduled service. So, alhamdulilah, everything has been really amazing so far.