Mosque Building Funds

Recently it was announced that the monthly deductions from the salaries of Muslim employees will be increased. Mudpie is all for it, as everything costs a lot more today than when the fund was started.

After the announcement appeared in the media, there were calls for some modifications to the policy. It was suggested that employees be allowed to specify their preference for the use of their individual contributions.

Mudpie thinks this will just make things more complicated and costly, and is not necessary. Other causes are totally free to raise their own funds.

On another note, since the issue of equity was bandied about, Mudpie does think that it is more equitable that the new policy will deduct more from Muslim employees who earn more and deduct less from those who earn less. However, Mudpie thinks that those who benefit less should also be made to pay less.

In this category, in Mudpie's view, are women employees. The reason is because in every mosque you go to, women are given second class treatment, whereas the men get first class. The men occupy the main prayer hall, which is usually the most spacious, well decorated and most comfortable part of the mosque, whereas women are usually scooted off out of sight. Like when tarawih prayers are on at Masjid Taqwa, for instance, the men occupy the prayer hall, and the women are sequestered behind portable partitions outside the mosque building itself. The women actually have to cross the men's section to get from the gate to their section. Their section is not carpeted like the plush carpet of the men's section. Their section is not airconditioned, like the men's section. They do not have a line of sight to the imam at all.

That's just one mosque. Granted, we are way ahead of most other countries in our treatment of women in mosques, but that does not mean that things are perfectly equitable. Most mosques do not have women in their committees, and even if they do, she would be in charge of the refreshments. And does Mudpie have to ask, but are there any women mosque chairpersons yet?

Now, if you are on a plane or in a hotel and you get less perks, you pay less, right?

The second class of Muslims in this disadvantaged category are non-Malay speaking Muslims. Most mosques are 100% Malay-speaking. It surpises Mudpie that even most new mosques still have all-Malay signage, all-Malay classes and all-Malay activities. There are no mosque madrasahs for English-speaking kids. There are almost no classes in English.

Again, what are they paying for? Mudpie thinks that they should be allowed to pay less.