The Hartford Courant reports Ingrid Mattson, a Canadian convert to Islam and an Islamic law scholar at Hartford Seminary, has been elected president of the Islamic Society of North America.
Mattson is the first female president of the Islamic Society, the largest Muslim organization in North America. The Islamic Society is an umbrella group that represents Muslim associations for youths, college students, engineers and others, and also provides support to Muslim chaplains and North American mosques.
Ian Markham, the dean of Hartford Seminary said Matson's election "speaks to the determination of [the organization] to reflect authentic Islamic values about the importance and equality of women."
It is interesting that the Islamic Society would elect a women leader when the religion separates men and women during worship. According to the Courant, women have had prominent roles outside of religious services, founding and leading some Islamic groups throughout North America. Nevertheless, that doesn’t rise to the level of equality for women achieved in Western society.
Comments