Cape Town, South Africa just made a mark on the world map. Last Friday, worshipers of the Muslim faith came together for the very first time at an "open mosque." This place of worship is intended to be used by anyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Women will also be allowed to be prayer leaders.
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| image courtesy of bbc.com |
The open mosque is the brain child of Taj Hargey, an academic and cleric at Oxford University. He las long been against "fundamentalist interpretations of Islam," and conceptualized the place of worship as a direct opposition and challenge to extremists.
The mosque opening faced opposition ranging from protests outside the building to death threats. Hargey received threats about beheading him, castrating him, and hanging him. He has also been labeled as a heretic and a non-believer.
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| image courtesy of bbc.com |
I am not sure how long this can go on, considering the level of violence that seems to be escalating from outside forces. I am also not certain how the Islam community (as a whole) would accept this radical change. This is tricky. I am, however, ecstatic that there are brave and radical people in this world who are willing to take the difficult first steps towards unity and equality.
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