 ROME: A Moroccan woman is trying to become the first female to lead Islamic prayers in Italy and facing fierce opposition by members of her community, news reports said on Wednesday. Naima Gouhai, a 30-year-old nurse from the Tuscan town of Colle Val d'Elsa, put in a request to lead a mixed congregation of men and women in prayer at a local mosque two days after a female professor led a similar service in New York City, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported. "It seems right to me that when a woman is more capable than a man of handling the collective prayer, she should be the imam," Gouhai was quoted as saying by Corriere. Officials at the Islamic Center in Colle Val d'Elsa, some 25 kilometres of Siena, could not be reached immediately for comment.
| They were down with the vapors... |
Among the 1,500 members of the area's Muslim community, a vocal minority opposes Gouhai's request and is asking for the resignation of an imam who supported her, Corriere reported.
| Really? Oh, I'm sooooo surprised! |
The imam, Feras Jabareen, is known in Italy for his moderate views and for frequently joining in prayer with Catholic priests, particularly to appeal for the release of Italian hostages held in Iraq. Jabareen, who led the Colle Val d'Elsa community for ten years, refused to resign, saying he has "always acted for the good of the community and with respect toward the Quran," Corriere reported. |