Word: murshidas
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...chubby cheeks, quiet voice and large glasses, Fatima Zohra al Salfi makes an unlikely heroine, and she's clearly nervous about a few of the sinister-looking passengers on the bus. What al Salfi has going for her is the same thing the jihadis have: religion. She is a murshida, a Muslim "guide" or preacher, and as such a rarity in the Islamic world, in which religious instruction is usually the preserve of men. The government-sponsored religious training that al Salfi and other female preachers have undergone is unique in Islam. But Moroccan officials say other countries, including Egypt...
...mission is not just a matter of combatting extremism. Al Salfi and the other 200 women graduates from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs' new training school for murshida also want to help restore what they see as women's rightful place within Islam. They take inspiration from the strong and often opinionated wives of the Prophet Muhammad. One wife, Khadija, helped him recognize that Satan once came to him disguised as the Archangel Gabriel; another wife, Aisha, was the source for many of the sayings and deeds of Muhammad, who trusted her wisdom and integrity. "For centuries, women have been...
...women should behave in a mosque. Lesson 1: Refrain from gossip. Afterwards, women tell her of their family woes, confiding about the daughter turned prostitute, say, or the drunken husband who punches his wife. "Sometimes it's as much about psychology as it is religion," says the murshida program director, Mohamed Amin Chouabi, who notes that their year-long training teaches the women preachers how to deal with modern-day problems ranging from aids to alcoholism...
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