Nu Ahong (Women Imams) and Nu Si (Women’s Mosques) in China

Woman's mosque in China (from Saudi Aramco World)

This photo is of a woman’s mosque in China and is part of the lovely collection of photos in an excellent and fascinating article in the online Saudi Aramco World journal. Click on the photo or the link to go and read it. Half of Chinese Muslims are from the Hui people and the article is about the role of women as religious leaders. Here is an excerpt, “Among the Hui are women employed as ahong (imams, or Muslim religious leaders), which means that they are spiritual guides for the women (nu) in their community. Some nu ahong (female religious leaders) serve in mosques that are entirely separate from men’s mosques, but most use rooms that are part of men’s mosques. Some live at the mosque or in an affiliated Muslim school, and some are paid salaries, while a smaller number volunteer”

I find the idea of mosques for women only quite fascinating and the Nu Ahong are certainly very busy fulfilling their duties as here, “In addition to presiding over nu si (women’s mosques), a nu ahong’s duties may include ritual guidance at marriages and funerals, preaching, resolving political and social disputes, and offering moral guidance and counseling. But perhaps her most important work is that of educator. In my interviews with the nu ahong, they told me that Islam values women as the first teachers of children, and therefore women must be educated as well as good role models. There are many schools for Hui women and girls, and many of them are attached to mosques, run and financed by the Hui people themselves”

It is well worth reading the article and please leave any comments you have about it here.