The Mecca Paradox

The 2026-2027 Roetzel Family Lecture, made possible by the generosity of Cal Roetzel and his family, will feature Kambiz GhaneaBassiri discussing "The Mecca Paradox: The Sacred in Society and the Separation of the Sexes In Early Islam."

GhaneaBassiri, Professor of Religious and Politics at Washington University of St. Louis, will examine early Islamic legal scholars and how they navigated the paradox of men and women being segregated in mosques for ritual prayer across many Muslim-majority societies, even as they intermingle at Islam’s holiest site in Mecca. GhaneaBassiri will build on this to illuminate how this structures the sacred in Muslim societies through social hierarchies, spatial authority, and religious boundaries.

There will be light refreshments following the event.

Questions
Contact the Religious Studies Program by email at [email protected] with any questions or for accommodations.

*The 2026-2027 Roetzel Lecture is cosponsored by the departments of History and AMES at UMN.