Unlike in Muslim countries, Muslims are a minority here in North America. We need to feel a sense of belonging to the Muslim community.
In Muslim countries it is different the Mosques are mainly a place to pray. In North America the mosque is more than a place of prayer. It is a place where people meet, where events are organized for the Muslim community etc.….

As for interacting with the opposite gender why is it wrong? I interact with the opposite gender at work, outside in the public space, why not in Mosque?
I disagree with your reasoning.

The Muslim world wouldn’t be so backward if Muslims were not so concerned about petty things and technicalities such as women being hidden from view inside the mosque, or whether to wear Niqab or Hijab. I wear Hijab but this doesn’t make me a better Muslim than one who doesn’t. Those same men who are so strict about it are the ones you will find talking freely to Western women and chatting at length with them at work or in public places. I have witnessed many times their hypocrite behaviours.
One need only go to mosques to see how the Muslim community behaves whether during Eid prayers, Ramadan or Friday prayers: rude to each other, inconsiderate of others and not welcoming of new people.

How about men? Why don’t we talk about the way they dress when they go to the Mosque: low-cut jeans that reveal their underwear’s when they bend, tight pants…the dress code applies to men as well.

We need to respect both sides: Women who want a physical barrier and those who don’t. I like to be able to see the Imam and hate having a physical barrier, as long as there is enough space between the men’s section and the ladies. I don’t like it when I am being pushed to the back or in an isolated room full of out-f control children who make so much noise I can’t even hear

There is no hidden meaning from a kutbah in terms of gestures or body language other than the actual words that come out of the mouth, so for this we only need our ears.

“Why have we adopted this mentality that “the sisters don’t matter, because they don’ t have to come anyways”? Just cover them up and let them stay in the kitchen and give birth to children. The message we are sending our sisters — the mothers of our kids, the mothers of our Ummah –- is that their jobs are menial at best.”

Brother, this is a western ideology and sisters roles are regarded just as important in Islam. Our roles are different from our male counterparts but this doesn’t mean we are any less. When we fulfill our roles in Islam, InshaAllah there is barakah in our lives.

Living in a western society, we sometimes associate our lives with ideas of the kufar and sometimes we need to step back and realize what our position is in Islam and the beauty of sisters and brothers roles as prescribed in Islam.

In Saudi Arabia, there is almost no interaction between men and women, and there are designated public spaces (including ladies’ malls) for women alone, designed exclusively to cater to women’s needs than to a common denominator between men and women. To be honest, the common denominator system rarely exists, because almost all spaces are designed considering men (ie the majority) as the users. So women rarely get justice in mixed spaces. Saudi Arabia being a rich country with considerable wealth allotted to religious development, women have as many facilities as men in mosques: separate entry spaces, lighting, ventilation, air-conditioning, sound system, and ablution spaces are often larger and specifically designed for more convenience to women. Women feel free and do not need to keep adjusting their hijab or lowering their voices, or being careful about not attracting attention to themselves in such spaces. So it is possible to learn and be part of the Islamic community without having to share space with men or even to interact with them, as vice-versa.

In India, it is almost the opposite. Hardly any mosques have women’s sections, forget asking for equally comfortable facilities. It is very uncommon for women to visit the mosque, as women have been homemakers for centuries and have always taken the option of not attending the qutbah or prayer in jamaat. As a result, there are no qutbahs that address women’s issues, on the contrary they create a more male-centric/ male-dominant feeling in their all-male audience, which is not very difficult to create. Which puts off women from starting to consider going to a qutbah. Now, as more women are working, and becoming independently mobile, many new malls and corporate companies have designated prayer rooms with air-conditioning and plush mats, as well as chairs for the elderly. During Islamic delegations, open-air arrangements are made without visual barriers but demarcations between men and women. Women, being at the back can hardly see the speaker, being so great in number (usually in black garb) can hardly be seen by the speaker; screens are put up to relay the image of the speaker to the audience in the distance. However, these spaces are privately-owned and the decision to provide these facilities was with the owners. The Muslim community needs to take the decision to include women in the public realm with a view to helping women become better Muslims and valuing women’s contribution to society.

Women need to stop aspiring to become the human ideal, ie male. The male is hardly an ideal; men and women are different and will never be able to be comfortable in spaces designed for the opposite gender, or in spaces designed for the common denominator.