Which school did Amina Wadud go to from 1969 to 1970?
Amina Wadud Amina Wadud ( born September 25 , 1952 ) is an American Muslim theologian with a progressive interpretation of the Quran . Wadud serves as Professor Emeritus of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and is also a visiting scholar at Starr King School for the Ministry . Wadud has written extensively on the role of women in Islam . Born and raised as a Methodist in Bethesda , Maryland , Wadud converted to Islam in 1972 while studying at the University of Pennsylvania . She went on to study Arabic and Islamic studies , first in the United States and later in Egypt . Wadud made International headlines in 2005 when she led Friday prayers at a mixed congregation in New York , which caused controversy in some spheres of the Islamic world . Since then , Wadud has continued to lead prayers at various congregations around the world . Early life . Wadud was born Mary Teasley to an African-American family in Bethesda , Maryland . Her father was a Methodist minister . In 1972 , she converted to Islam , while a student at the University of Pennsylvania , which she attended from 1970 to 1975 . She officially changed her name to Amina Wadud two years later . Education . In 1975 , Wadud graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science . She received her M.A . in Near Eastern Studies and her Ph.D . in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan in 1988 . During graduate school , she studied in Egypt , including advanced Arabic at the American University in Cairo , Quranic studies and tafsir ( exegesis or religious interpretation ) at Cairo University , and philosophy at Al-Azhar University . Work . Waduds research specialities include gender and Quranic studies . From 1989 to 1992 , she worked as an assistant professor in Quranic Studies at IIUM . While there , she published her dissertation Quran and Woman : Rereading the Sacred Text from a Womans Perspective and co-founded the non-governmental organization Sisters in Islam . The book is still used by the NGO as a basic text for activists and academics , but it is banned in the United Arab Emirates . In 1992 , Wadud accepted a position as Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University . She retired in 2008 , and took up a position as a visiting professor at the Center for Religious and Cross Cultural Studies at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta , Indonesia . Wadud has spoken at universities , as well as grassroots , government and non-government forums throughout the United States , the Middle East , Southeast Asia , Africa and Europe . Her speaking engagements include the keynote address Islam , Justice , and Gender at the 2008 international conference Understanding Conflicts : Cross-Cultural Perspectives , held at Aarhus University , Denmark ; a paper titled “Islam Beyond Patriarchy Through Gender Inclusive Qur’anic Analysis” at the 2009 Musawah - Equality and Justice in the Family conference ; the Regional Conference on Advancing Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment in Muslim Societies , hosted by United Nations Development Fund for Women ( UNIFEM ) and the International Centre for Islam and Pluralism ( ICIP ) in Jakarta , Indonesia , in March 2009 ; a workshop on Sharia and Human Rights at the University of Bergen , Norway in late November 2009 ; a public lecture titled Muslim Women and Gender Justice : Methods , Motivation and Means to the Faculty of Arts , Asia Institute , at the University of Melbourne , Australia in February 2010 ; a lecture on “Tawhid and Spiritual Development for Social Action” at Muslims for Progressive Values at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley , California in July 2011 . Wadud has also openly advocated pluralism and equality as an endorsement of LGBTQ+ rights . Controversy . 1994 sermon . In August 1994 , Wadud delivered a Friday pre-khutbah ( sermon ) on Islam as Engaged Surrender at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town , South Africa . Women delivering even a pre-khutbah talk was unheard of in the Muslim world . It was widely mis-reported that Wadud had actually delivered the khutbah ( the formal Arabic sermon delivered from the pulpit ) , which she did not ( she delivered the main talk - in English and not from the pulpit - however a pre-khutbah talk is not part of the formal Friday ceremony ) . As a result , there were attempts in Virginia by some Muslims to have her dismissed from her position at Virginia Commonwealth University . 2005 prayer leadership . More than a decade later , Wadud decided to lead Friday prayers ( salat ) for a congregation in the United States , breaking with Islamic laws , which allows only male imams ( prayer leaders ) in mixed-gender congregations . ( See Women as imams for a discussion of the issue. ) On Friday 18 March 2005 , Wadud acted as imam for a congregation of about 60 women and 40 men seated together , without any gender separation . The call to prayer was given by another woman , Suheyla El-Attar . It was sponsored by the Muslim Womens Freedom Tour , under the leadership of Asra Nomani , by the website Muslim WakeUp! , and by members of the Progressive Muslim Union . A small number of protestors gathered outside against the prayer . The gathering was held in the Synod House , owned by and adjoining the Episcopal Cathedral of St . John the Divine , in Manhattans Morningside Heights , after three mosques had refused to host the service and the Sundaram Tagore Gallery withdrew its offer after a bomb threat . Wadud said while she initially wanted to host the prayer in a neutral place , but after the bomb threats , she decided on the church , not to make a statement , but because she wanted to conduct the prayers in a sacred place . She said , I dont want to change Muslim mosques . I want to encourage the hearts of Muslims , both in their public , private and ritual affairs , to believe they are one and equal . Response . The prayer service drew controversy , with mixed reactions from the Muslim community . Over 100 men and women attended the prayers , and about 15 people protested outside the church . Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi of Qatar said that , while a woman could lead other women and even possibly her young children in salat , she could not lead a mixed group including non-mahram males . Sheikh Sayyid Tantawi of Cairos Al-Azhar mosque criticized the prayer in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram : When she leads men in prayer , in this case , it is not proper for them to look at the woman whose body is in front of them . Some Muslim academics supported Wadud . Egyptian academic Gamal al-Banna argued that her actions were supported by Islamic sources . Writer and Harvard Divinity School professor Leila Ahmed said it brought attention to the issue of women in Islam . Islamic scholar Ebrahim E.I . Moosa called the prayer a wonderful move . Khaled Abou El-Fadl , professor of Islamic Studies at UCLA , California said : What the fundamentalists are worried about is that theres going to be a ripple effect not just in the U.S . but all over the Muslim world . The women who are learned and frustrated that they cannot be the imam are going to see that someone got the guts to break ranks and do it . Because Wadud said she had become the target of death threats , the police and her employer , fearing for her security and reacting to concerns from parents about their childrens safety , asked her to conduct her classes from home through a video link . In her first interview after the prayer , Wadud denied receiving any death threats and described them as media hype . Wadud has continued with her speaking engagements and to lead mixed-gender Friday prayer services . On October 28 , 2005 , following her talk at the International Congress on Islamic Feminism in Barcelona , Spain , she was invited to lead a congregation of about thirty people . Following an invitation by the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford , she led a mixed-gender prayer in the United Kingdom , even though Muslims planning to attend were threatened with being disowned by conservative imams through personal visits from mosques . 2013 Madras University controversy . Wadud was to deliver a lecture on 29 July 2013 on Gender and Reform in Islam at the University of Madras in Chennai , India . The scheduled lecture was cancelled because police cited possible law and order problems in view of opposition by Muslim groups . S.M . Syed Iqbal , state secretary of India Towheed Jamad , said that she comes with the backing of the US government and offers so-called progressive views that are against the basic tenets of Islam , and that his outfit would protest in front of the venues if she were allowed to talk . Awards . In 2007 , Wadud received the Danish Democracy Prize . Personal life . Amina Wadud has five children and three grandchildren . She lives in Oakland , California . Media appearances . Wadud was an advisor to the documentary ( 2002 ) , produced by [ Unity Productions Foundation ] and broadcast on PBS . Wadud was interviewed on WNYC radio on July 14 , 2006 , to discuss her book Inside the Gender Jihad . She responded to questions and comments about other activities including women in gender-mixed Friday prayer service . In 2007 , Wadud was the subject of a documentary by Iranian-Dutch filmmaker , Elli Safari , called The Noble Struggle of Amina Wadud . Selected bibliography . Books . - Contributes a gender-inclusive reading to one of the most fundamental disciplines in Islamic thought , Quranic exegesis . - Continues Waduds Quranic analysis and provides extensive details about her experiences as a Muslim , wife , mother , sister , scholar , and activist .