the times are changing

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Islam I

In a circular last week, the Islamic Affairs Ministry said loudspeakers on mosques should not be set higher than a third of their maximum volume. Speakers that are used to broadcast the call to prayer and the signal for prayers to start should then be switched off, rather than continue to broadcast full prayers and sermons.
The changes come at a time of wider reform to the role religion plays in public life under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, who has eased some strict social restrictions while allowing no political dissent.

Islam II

A recent tweet from Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, al-Azhar’s Grand Imam highlights a shift in the view of the capabilities of women holding prominent positions and playing leading roles in the future of Islam.
The injustices suffered from an antiquated understanding of the religion, and a discriminatory view of women has become synonymous with the Muslim male’s view of females and their place in society.This month al-Tayeb said that women can work in all leadership positions, including being a judge or a mufti. He added that women can travel without a male chaperone as long as it is safe. Furthermore, a guardian cannot refuse a woman’s choice of a husband without providing an acceptable reason.

His tweet, and his television show called for a revision and renewal of religious discourse and are perfect examples of his knowledge of the existing inequalities that impact women. Al-Tayeb revealed the true nature of the impetus to subjugate women under the guise of Islam as mere misogyny that should be acknowledged and repudiated.