Muslim Women Protest at DC Mosque

WASHINGTON, DC. - About 20 women have risked arrest by praying in the main hall at the Islamic Center of Washington.

Mosque officials called D.C. police over the weekend to stop the protest. Police told the women to leave or they would be arrested.

Jannah B'int Hannah says she feels like a second-class citizen when she's asked to pray in a separate room where she can't see the imam. She was among the women who protested the policy.

Syed Burmi, the imam of the Islamic Society of Western Maryland, says the physical separation of men and women helps maintain a focus on prayer. He says it also protects women's privacy and modesty.

Asra Nomani, an Islamic feminist, says Muslim women are encouraged to rise to the highest levels of society and don't want to be second class in the mosque.