“Let’s talk about the importance of saying as-salamu alaykum,” Professor Ramez Islambouli states as he begins his Khutbah, commencing what is known as Jummah. Every Friday, students, doctors and community members alike gather to observe Dhuhr, the second Islamic prayer of the day, in the comforts of the Interfaith Center. Shoes and school bags decorate the premises as the Muslims trickle into the prayer area. Men sit in the front. Women sit in the back. Although, as I find my way to the women’s section, I can’t help but notice the difference between the number of men and women in attendance. Over double the number of men than women go to Jummah. Why is that? I have a few theories.

Theory one: This imbalance is a reflection of Islamic policies. In Islam, Jummah is required for adult male Muslims and not for females. However, the Quran does not explicitly differentiate between genders when discussing the topic of Jummah. The Quran states, “O you who believe! When you are called to congregational (Friday) prayer, hasten to the remembrance of God and leave off trade” (Quran 62:9). Nevertheless, a combination of historical and religious interpretations have agreed that men are expected to actively participate in communal activities, while women are allowed to choose based on their individual circumstances, thus concluding that Jummah is required for men and not for women. With this in mind, having more men at Jummah makes sense.

Theory two: Women don’t actually know about Jummah on campus. For undergraduates, the main channel of communication for Muslims to communicate with one another is through the Muslim Student Association (MSA), where a general body chat is managed by the executive board on WhatsApp. However, you must engage with the student organization before joining the chat by either going to an event or talking to someone already in the chat who can request to add you. Thus, there is a possibility that fewer women are engaging with the organization than men, potentially explaining the lack of awareness amongst undergraduates.

For community members, there is a group chat for Muslim doctors at University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic to share information. This chat functions as MSA’s version of the general body chat, but the demographics are highly dependent on the gender makeup at these hospitals. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, women make up only 38% of all doctors. Thus, if this group chat is largely made up of doctors, there are bound to be fewer women in the chat than men. The underrepresentation of women in these spaces may contribute to their limited awareness of Jummah on campus.

Theory three: Women do know about it, but are choosing not to attend. There could be a number of reasons for this. Perhaps Muslim women on campus prefer to observe their religion in other ways. Since Jummah is not required, they may choose to pray at home, reading Surah Al-Kahf in the comforts of their dorm.

A potential second reason women may not attend Jummah is that additional social pressures keep women from engaging with the Muslim community. Starting at puberty, women are expected to wear a head covering called the hijab and begin to dress more modestly. Men also face conformity as they are expected to take a larger role in the household, serving as a leader in the community. However, in an age of social media and patriarchal gender roles, women face an additional level of scrutiny because their choices about religious observance and personal expression can be subject to public judgment. This scrutiny may lead women to withdraw from communal settings such as Jummah, resorting to alternative forms of worship.

This phenomenon does not exist in isolation; it mirrors broader trends in religious participation across various faiths. In the broader context of religion, the demographics that populated churches, synagogues and mosques 20 years ago are shifting. For the first time, more young men are engaging with religion than women. Amongst Generation Z, those aged 18 to 25, women are nine percent more likely to identify as having no religious affiliation. Maybe this imbalance seen at Jummah is pronounced because Generation Z students constitute the majority of attendees.

Despite the reason why more men attend Jummah than women, there are questions that need to be answered: Is there something the community can do to make Jummah a more inclusive environment? How do we access these female doctors? And what’s Professor Islambouli going to talk about next week?