Voices and Narratives: Women and their Access to Mosque
摘要
This chapter uses autoethnography and field narratives to build upon the concept of gendered space and place-making in a Mosque. While in Belfast as a Charles Wallace Fellow, I had my first experience of offering namaz (prayers) in a jammat (congregation). The experience was unique as within the context of India I had never prayed in a Mosque. However, in 2024, I chanced upon the prayer hall designated for women in the India Islamic Cultural Centre (IICC) in New Delhi. Herein this work, I present a narration of my lived experiences of offering Namaz in Belfast and IICC to explore the embodiment of space. Narratives of a few Muslim migrant women of Guwahati, my hometown, who around the time of Ramadan during the COVID-19 period had started offering Namaz in an under-constructed house are also presented to comprehend nuances of place-making. Working on narratives, this work reflects on the emotions and experiences of women offering Namaz in a Mosque weighing upon the concept of gendered space.