AIMPLB said in the Supreme Court that there is no ban on women going to mosque in Islam. But they cannot demand ending the arrangement of sitting separately from men or demanding entry through the main gate.
New Delhi: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Thursday told the Supreme Court that there is no restriction in Islam on Muslim women going to mosques. According to the report of The Indian Express, the board also made it clear that women cannot demand entry from the main door of the mosque or abolition of the arrangement of sitting separately from men. AIMPLB said this in front of the bench which is hearing constitutional questions related to women’s entry into Sabarimala temple and discrimination at other religious places.
The petitions seeking to allow women to enter mosques and offer namaz have been linked to the Sabarimala case, Live Law reports. These include constitutional questions related to the right to practice religion and the management of religious affairs. A nine-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is hearing the case. Advocate M.R. on behalf of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. Shamshad appeared. During the hearing, the Chief Justice asked whether women were allowed to enter places of worship. On this the lawyer said that there is no dispute among different sects of the Muslim community that women can go to the mosque. But he also added that some rules have to be followed. Shamshad said that it is necessary for men to offer namaz in Jamaat (collective), but it is not mandatory for women.
According to the report, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah said that perhaps it is not necessary for women to go to the mosque so that they can take care of the children at home when other people in the house go for prayers. The lawyer said that the board has no problem with women coming to the mosque. But he also said that demands like allowing women to enter through the main gate, giving direct access to the Musalla (main prayer area) and offering prayers there without any interruption should not be accepted. The lawyer also said that there is no concept of sanctum sanctorum in a mosque. He replied that the Prophet himself had said that women should not be stopped from coming to the mosque.