Some time ago, I was in the Holy Mosque, striving hard to achieve tranquility of mind and soul, almost unaware of the male guards pushing women away from the courtyard of the Kaaba. I went on uttering the prayers until my soul felt rested. All of a sudden I was jerked from my prayers and ordered to take a seat in a remote corner.
Complaining silently about the unjust treatment we women received, I sat down inside the mosque, awaiting the adhan (call for prayer) and watching the commotion among the crowd of women who were being pushed around in the tiny space allotted for them near the Kaaba. I compared the vast space men were given with the tiny enclosure where women were virtually packed in. I began to consider a way to stop this rank injustice.
The following year I again visited the Holy Mosque. When I entered the courtyard before the Maghreb (sunset) prayer, I found the male guards sending women to a spot outside the circle of the Kaaba. I found out that even the small space allowed to women near the Kaaba had been taken away from them and given to men. I was very much upset by this blatant deprival of women’s ability to pray at a place close to the Kaaba.
On the other hand, the space within the mosque was insufficient for the huge number of women present and by no means conducive to a sense of tranquility and devotion. I felt that it was better for women to pray at home while men were enjoying a very large space sufficient for each pilgrim to lay down on their backs.
It was at that moment that I saw two female guards ordering women pilgrims to remain within the small space reserved for women. They spoke to the women pilgrims in a harsh manner, telling them to get out of the area surrounding the Kaaba and go to the place reserved for them. I was amazed by their behavior which was more aggressive than the male guards. One of them even pushed a woman very roughly. She issued orders:
“O woman pilgrim, Go to that place!” “By God this is the place for men!” “Let the men pray!” “Don’t take the men’s place!” “O woman pilgrim, don’t disturb the men who are praying.”
I was so angry at the obvious injustice in her orders that I stopped one of the guards and told her as sternly as I could, “Sister, don’t you see the number of women and the small space given to them in comparison to the large space which men enjoy. I daresay the men don’t need your help as they already are in possession of three quarters of the mosque. They monopolize almost the entire place. If only you looked around and were a bit reasonable, you would see that we women deserve more of your attention and help. If you cannot help us, at least keep your mouths shut.”
