Gender and Socio-Spatial Assemblage at Masjid Al-Irsyad Kota Baru Parahyangan, Indonesia

Despite their non-mandatory attendance in the mosques, women have been significant users of mosques in Indonesia. They organize community programs, attend daily prayers, and participate in Islamic learning sessions (kajian). Masjid Al-Irsyad (built in 2009) in Kota Baru Parahyangan, Indonesia, is a popular venue for the kajian among women in the surrounding area. This article examines the design of Masjid Al-Irsyad, its flexible uses as a social space, the design based on gender analysis aspects, women’s preference for space, and the social interactions fostered and hampered by the spatial layout. Based on using data withdrawn from a survey of female mosque users and observations, this article finds that the open plan allows flexible use of space, which better accommodates women’s need for space in the mosque and encourages women’s active participation, and a more equal yet remains “Islamic” interaction in the mosque as an Islamic community center. It also blurs the gendered spatial boundary and hierarchy. The space of Masjid Al-Irsyad is a socio-spatial assemblage that opens a broader opportunity for equal gender relations in the mosque. However, the open plan also reduces women’s privacy, an essential spatial aspect.