Sexing the Prayer: The Politics of Ritual and Feminist Activism in Indonesia

The Friday congregational prayer led by a woman, Amina Wadud, in New York City on March 18, 2005, is a celebratory yet controversial event.¹ Muslim feminists in America, such as Amina Wadud and Asra Q. Nomani, perceive the woman-ledJum‘aprayer as a stepping stone to gender equality and a challenge to women’s place as second class citizens, excluded from the sphere of spiritual authority.² This event is, indeed, celebratory because it is the first time in the history of Islamic civilization that a woman led aJum‘aprayer in front of a mixed congregation in public. Its powerful effect