On Friday, Jan. 30, Muslim women in Los Angeles gathered at the Women’s Mosque of America for Friday prayer. The event itself isn’t abnormal. Thousands of Muslim women across the country flock to their nearest mosques for Friday service. What’s different about this gathering in particular is that it’s the first of its kind, set in a newly opened, all-female mosque.

In an effort to better understand the Women’s Mosque of America, the need that drove its establishment and the controversy that stemmed from its creation, MuslimGirl.net interviewed its founder, M. Hasna Maznavi.

Click through to read the inspiring statements this Muslim woman has to say.