#  RPL Lecture Explores Gendered Authority at Women's Mosque of America 

 





In a recent RPL lecture, Tazeen Ali explored how Muslim women at the Women’s Mosque of America exercise different forms of religious authority.



 

December 02, 2025

 

 

- [ Event Coverage ](/news-categories/event-coverage)
 
 

 

     ![book cover](/sites/g/files/omnuum8216/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/RPL%20women%27s%20mosque%20book%20cover%20wide.jpg?itok=gTPTJnL5) 

 



 

On November 7, 2025, Religion and Public Life (RPL) hosted a virtual conversation with [Tazeen Ali](https://artsci.washu.edu/faculty-staff/tazeen-ali), Assistant Professor of Religion and Politics at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at the Washington University in St. Louis. Ali's lecture focused on gendered authority at the [Women’s Mosque of America](https://womensmosque.com/) (WMA).

Ali presented several chapters from her book, *The Women’s Mosque of America: Authority & Community in US Islam*, examining how Muslim women at the WMA exercise different forms of religious authority. Through an analysis of sermons delivered by and interviews with members of the Mosque, Ali contends that interpreting the Qur’an serves as the main method through which Muslim women establish themselves as religious actors in American Islam.

The WMA is a multiracial congregation for Muslim women and their interfaith allies located in Los Angeles, CA. In contrast to mainstream mosques where women are often relegated to separate and unequal prayer spaces, women at the WMA occupy leadership positions, lead prayers, and deliver sermons. While women-only mosques remain rare in North America, the WMA draws upon an extant tradition of women-only mosques from across the globe, bolstering their community with continuity and legitimacy within Islam. Ali emphasized that the WMA is not interested in presenting itself as a “radical” space, but that they hope to “tilt things on their side” rather than “turn things on their head.”

Throughout her presentation, Ali demonstrated the significance of interpretive authority to the WMA’s mission of building an inclusive community for all women. By inviting lay women to deliver sermons, the WMA challenges the preeminence of male scholars in Qur’anic studies. Furthermore, the WMA emphasizes the English language translations of the Qur’an, providing members with unmediated access to scripture in their vernacular. Through this accessibility, many women experienced a greater connection with God.

The WMA also foregrounds personal experience and embodied knowledge: preachers are encouraged to exegete scripture through the lens of their daily lives as Muslim women. For instance, Ali analyzed a sermon that addressed gender-based violence and the Qur’anic imperative to advocate for the oppressed. Other sermon topics included racial justice, an issue rarely discussed by mainstream mosques that tend to be ethnically homogenous.

By presenting scripture as speaking for itself, preachers at the WMA advocate for women’s interpretive authority while simultaneously rendering their practice legible in the broader context of mainstream Islam. Ali’s lecture skillfully illustrated the careful interplay between innovation and tradition in the WMA’s work toward gender equality.