lystrayel

I sort of have an answer formulated on this, but thought I would ask out of interest and see what your opinions are. Aside from the usual hate-mogering "Islam abuses women" thing.

The reason I ask this question is because I can't find ANYWHERE in the Qu'ran where it determines that women are less worthy to lead prayer or be scholars of faith. Even in Hadith, Aisha taught much of Islam and Mohammed would refer people to her to learn much of what is considered practical. Also, Fatima (his daughter) had a fair hand (pun intended) in the teachings and practices of Islam as well.

Should women be allowed to be Imam? Should a woman be allowed to make the Azan? Why or why not?

As can be shown by my previous questions and answers, I'm marrying an Egyptian Muslim, and have been going to great effort to learn about Islam in order to understand how it meshes with my own Roman Catholic upbringing.

I'm a lifelong Catholic, I practice, have been to Rome and Fatima. I say the rosary, take eucharist, and really try to do things right. I'm a Vatican II Catholic, and have been having some issues with Benedict's changes to the progress John Paul II had made. There are some decisions of the Catholic Church that I have difficulty accepting (Double Effect for example), but on the whole have been pretty content.

So I started reading the Qu'ran. I'm on my second read-through now (The Meaning of the Holy Qu'ran - Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation with commentary). And now my faith is all tangled up. I can't honestly tell you that Mohammed wasn't a prophet, that the Qu'ran shouldn't be serving as a sacred text.

I pinged this in the Weddings Section and didn't get very much.

I'm the American Roman Catholic, he's the Egyptian Muslim. I've agreed to an Islamic ceremony in a Mosque here in the states, but am unfamiliar with the customs and practices around the ceremony. Any pointers, hints, weird things to wear, eat, or do that I should be given a heads up on?

This is a very small intimate ceremony. Neither of our families can be present, so we're going to visit his family in Alexandria and mine in the NE US after the wedding.

Okay, so my delightful Egyptian popped the question. I said yes, of course.. I'd have to be out of my mind to say anything else.

And now I'm faced with a fairly scary proposition. I've agreed to a Muslim wedding followed about a week later with a blessing and dispensation from the Catholic Church. I've never been to a Muslim Wedding before, I have no idea what's involved, and yes I've asked him. He's a man...they don't pay attention to anything in a wedding except for when they get to eat.

I DO know that we've agreed on a small ceremony (No more than 30 people) and it is my second marriage. I'm an understated and classic kind of person and have no desire or intention of getting a froo froo wedding dress unless it's mandatory.

What's it like? What happens? Do I need a Wali?

I’ve been dating this positively delightful wonderful charming, and handsome young man from Egypt for about a month and a half now. He’s fairly traditionally Sunni Muslim, I’m Roman Catholic. I preach well enough about being respectful of each other’s traditions and ideals but I always wonder if I’m coming up short on anything. I’m reading the Koran, pegging him on questions I have. So Aside from limited dining (no pork, no drinking), hanging out in public or under supervision, and keeping to myself when that time of the month comes around, not dressing like a hooker, is there anything I’m missing?

I really do try to be thoughtful, and know that if I did something outside of his margins he isn’t likely to be vocal about it. So I just wonder if I’m missing anything.

I have been told that Shi'ia have an additional prophet after Mohammed named Ali, and that their overall approach and practice of Islam is different from the Sunni. Could someone verify/expound on these differences? If there is an Ali, where would I find his writings and works?

Thanks