AS WITTENBERG WAS TO CHRISTIANITY...:

Woman Leads Muslim Prayer Service in New York City Despite Criticism in the Middle East (Tarek El-Tablawy, 3/18/05, Associated Press)

A female professor led an Islamic prayer service Friday with men in the congregation despite sharp criticism from Muslim religious leaders in the Middle East who complained that it violated centuries of tradition.

Amina Wadud, a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, led the service at Synod House at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, an Episcopal church in Manhattan.

Some Islamic scholars have said they were aware of a few other mixed-gender prayer meetings led by women, mostly in the West, but they are rare.

"The issue of gender equality is a very important one in Islam, and Muslims have unfortunately used highly restrictive interpretations of history to move backward," Wadud said before the service. "With this prayer service we are moving forward. This single act is symbolic of the possibilities within Islam."