Muslim preachers help Kosovo women learn, win their rights

Ms. Sogojeva is one of some 100 female theologians aiming to revive Muslim traditions in Europe’s newest country.

In this November 12, 2018 file photo, Agime Sogojeva, 2nd from right, a professor of Islamic studies holds a class inside the Haxhi Veseli mosque in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica. In Kosovo, the move to establish the religious training of women as spiritual teachers and theologians in mosques, is seen by some as a way to make Kosovo's approach to Islam more gender-balanced.

There’s a widespread tradition among many Muslims that it’s better for women to pray at home than in the mosque. But in Kosovo, an old Ottoman-era tradition is bucking that trend, with religious authorities seeking to establish the training of women as spiritual teachers in mosques.

Each day, scores of women gather around Agime Sogojeva, a spiritual teacher known as a mualime, in the Haxhi Veseli mosque in Kosovo’s northern town of Mitrovica. They discuss the Koran, their rights as women and daily practices, in a scene unthinkable as little as a decade ago.

Sogojeva is one of some 100 female theologians aiming to revive Muslim traditions in Europe’s newest country. They teach at three Muslim high schools, at Muslim centers, or they work voluntarily.