Men, Women and How They Talk to God

“Breaching the Wall at Prayer” (June 27) presents a picture of the Islamic Center of Southern California as an institution intent on oppressing women.

The reality is that women have been on our board of directors since 1991. Women have been featured lecturers at our Sunday congregation.

Women at our center started the Muslim Women’s League -- an organization dedicated to Muslim women’s rights.

Every Sunday, women and men sit in mixed company in our lecture hall, social hall, teen youth group meeting room and our school rooms. On days other than Fridays our center is less crowded and women pray in the main prayer hall.

Jamil Momand

Chair, Board of Directors

Islamic Center

of Southern California

Los Angeles

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To argue for the privileges of men during prayers in mosques, Muslim clerics say men would be distracted from prayer by the presence of women. As a man, I can either feel embarrassed at the perceived immaturity of my fellow men or I can feel insulted by the clerics’ affront toward the very maturity of men.

As a Christian person of faith, however, I feel humbled to look at our own prayer habits in church. How often do we attend church to merely see and be seen? How often do we actually listen to the sermon, consider the texts of hymns and truly pray when the pastor leads us in prayer?

Jochen Strack

Pasadena