On the entry of women in masjids

On the entry of women in masjids

Subject: Polity

Context:

• Last week the Jama Masjid in Delhi prohibited the entry of single women or women in groups inside the mosque premises

What was the reason for such order:

• The authorities reasoned that the ban is to stop some women who fail to respect the sanctity of the place of worship by making videos there.
• The management clarified that the ban excluded those women coming for worship, or those accompanied by their husband or families.

What is the Islamic law on women’s entry in mosque for prayers:

• Most Islamic scholars agree that a prayer can be offered at home but can only be established in a group.
• They also agree that women have been exempted, not prohibited from going to the mosque, keeping in mind their child-rearing and other domestic responsibilities.
• The Quran at no place prohibits women from going to mosques for prayers.
• Wherever the Quran talks of establishing prayer, it talks in gender neutral terms.
• Before the five daily prayers, a prayer call or azaan is pronounced, inviting both men and women for prayers.
• For Hajj and Umrah (lesser pilgrimage), Mecca and Medina have separate halls earmarked for men and women to pray.
• In India,only a handful of mosques maintained or owned by Jamaat­e ­Islami and the Ahl­e­Hadith sect have provisions for women worshippers.
• In West Asia there is no ban on women coming to the masjid for prayers.
• In the U.S. and Canada women access mosques for prayers, and even gather there for special Taraweeh prayers in Ramzan.

Have there been similar bans before:

• In 2011, a girl was put up on the premises of the Haji Ali Dargah, Mumbai, prohibiting the entry of women inside the sanctum sanctorum.
• With the requests to enter being denied by the dargah management, a campaign, ‘Haji Ali for All’, was started.
• The women approached the Bombay High Court which ruled in their favour in 2016.

What is the legal issue:

• According to the Constitution, there is complete equality between men and women.
• In the Haji Ali Dargah case, the High Court quoted Articles 15, 16 and 25 of the Constitution to grant women the desired access to the dargah.
• There are petitions filed before the Supreme Court wherein access has been sought for women in all mosques across the country which was clubbed with the Sabarimala case.