| Women seek entry to mosques to offer prayers |
KA Antony
KOZHIKODE The right of Muslim women to enter mosques is snowballing into a controversy between the conservative and reformists in the community in Kerala.
The issue was stirred up by the Kerala Muslim Women’s Conference organised by the Mujahideen Girls and Women’s Movement (MGM) of the Hussain Madavoor faction in Kozhikode recently.
The conference, besides making a scathing attack on the clerics belonging to the conservative Sunni groups, has also decided to launch a state-level campaign in this regard.
The issue is most likely to have serious repercussions in the coming days with the Mujahideen and the Jamaate Islami groups supporting the campaign and the powerful Sunni factions that form more than 60 per cent of the Muslim community in Kerala opposing it.
Talking to Oman Tribune on Wednesday MGM state president Khadeeja Nargheese said that the clerics had no right to ban pious women from entering the mosques to offer prayers.
“We are planning state-wide meetings and discussions along with awareness classes for all Muslim women with the cooperation of all strata of the society. Islam stands for one God and according to the Holy Quran, even the Prophet (peace be upon him) had not banned women from entering the mosques,” she said.
Shameema Islahiya, state general secretary of the MGM said that there was no prohibition of worshiping by women in mosques in the scriptures.
Hussain Madavoor, who heads the split away faction of the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen said that his movement was totally against closing the doors of mosques before women.
“Women too have a role to play in the society. How can you ban them from entering the mosques for offering prayers and from playing lead roles in politics and other social activities? We are only pleading for the cause of piously dressed women who come to offer prayers,” he said.
Haneefa Faizi of the EK Sunni faction and Ummer Moulavi of the other Sunni faction led by AP Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar said that there was no point in what the Mujahideen and the Jamaate Islami people say. “The Prophet (peace be upon him) had said that home is the safest place for women. His word is last and final for us,” they said.
Oman Tribune
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