Officials at several mosques confessed that they had earlier restricted children from entering because of complaints by some worshippers that they were being distracted by the little ones crying and playing in the background.
Recognizing this problem, large mosques have arranged separate sections, while smaller ones have built tents outside for women with their children.
Mohammed Abdullah, the owner of a mosque, said: “We arranged a separate floor for the women with children so that other worshippers could focus on their spirituality in Ramadan. We want children above the age of five to visit mosques regularly so that they get used to it at an early age and are also involved in society and Islamic traditions.”
“The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has never discouraged children from entering mosques and do not support any such regulations, except stopping women from bringing younger unruly youngsters.”
He said the government would take action against mosques with such restrictions.
A mother of four, Eman Alnasr, said it has been years since she prayed at a mosque because she was afraid her children would distract worshippers. She also did not want to leave them with her maid for too many hours. “This year most of the mosques have arranged separate sections for women with children. It has become easier for us to pray without getting into arguments with women who don’t like our children’s behavior.”
Zainab Ahmed, a mother of twins, said: “Many women don’t like children running around while they are praying and sometimes they scold them for being a disturbance. It is good to have a separate praying area for us so that we do not have to worry about our children troubling others.”
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