Female preachers officially find their way to Egypt's pulpits
In a groundbreaking move, Egypt's Ministry of Religious Endowments has appointed 144 female preachers to deliver sermons to all-female congregations.
Egypt's Ministry of Religious Endowments recently announced the appointment of 144 female preachers who will take up their positions in the female-only sections of several prominent mosques starting in March. According to the ministry, this is the first step in activating female participation in preaching work, and more female preachers will be added in the future.
Egyptian mosques are segregated by gender, with separate areas allocated for women. The new female preachers will lecture exclusively to women on a wide range of topics twice a week. The aim of these sessions is to clear up misconceptions related to Islamic jurisprudence and to spread moderate thinking.
In January 2015, the Ministry of Religious Endowments, which regulates mosques and religious endowments, announced the addition of volunteer positions for female preachers in mosques. The 144 newly appointed female preachers are the first of their kind to ever be appointed by the ministry.
The female preachers will be graduates of the prestigious Al-Azhar University, with degrees in preaching or Islamic studies to ensure they abide by Al-Azhar's methodology. Egypt also has nine Islamic centers that are affiliated with the Ministry of Religious Endowments to help prepare the female preachers.
