Woman leads Muslim prayer service in New York

The service, claimed by its organisers as the first of its type to be led by a woman, was held at Synod House at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine -- an Episcopal church in Manhattan.

Three local mosques had refused to act as a venue and plans to hold the service in an art gallery were shelved following a bomb threat. Islamic law forbids women from leading prayers if there are men in the congregation.

Around 150 Muslims, the majority of them female, turned up for the special prayers, where the role traditionally played by a male imam was taken by Amina Wadud, a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

In her sermon, which she peppered with verses from the Koran, Wadud stressed the theme of the unity of God and creation in Islam and applied it to the concept of race and sex equality.