What impact do women-led prayers have on non-Muslim communities?
Pamela Taylor: I think it makes them feel much, much more comfortable knowing that there are Muslims dealing with similar issues [as they] deal with. I feel a particularly strong sense of empathy from Catholic women who are going through much of the same struggle within their own faith community. What did you hope to accomplish by leading this prayer? Pamela Taylor: There is a need for visible, public events to encourage others to join in the bandwagon, to keep applying some pressure to the community, to establish a normalcy for women-led prayers in the public sphere, not just as some hush-hush, backroom, this-is-what-my group-does, but as a celebration of women’s spiritual power, of their contribution to our community as spiritual teachers and leaders. What were your greatest rewards and fears? Pamela Taylor: As for fears, I really didn’t have any. When women led prayers in 2005, there were some threats the event would be picketed, but nothing ever materialized. In 2006, there were ba
