No ban on women entering mosques, but can’t pray with men: Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Gen Sec

After the Kerala-based Nisa, a progressive forum for Muslim women, demanded entry of women into mosques, Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul General Secretary, K Alikutty Musliyar, stated that there was no blanket ban on women entering mosques, he said, while addressing the media on Thursday in Kozhikode.

Social activist and president of Kozhikode-based Nisa, VP Zuhra, is gearing up to petition the Supreme Court, calling for Sunni mosques to allow for women to enter, after the recent landmark verdict that lifted the ban against women ages 10 to 50 entering the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

Alikutty stated that while there was no ban per se on women entering mosques, it is more ideal for women to pray at home according to teachings of the Prophet Muhammed. “Women can come to mosques for any other purpose but offering prayers along with men in the mosque is not allowed. There are separate mosques for women,” he said.   

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling



on Sabarimala temple, a group of activists from Nisa sought to remove the ban against women entering mosques. However, this has not been received well.

“I am doing this for equality. Women are never allowed inside Sunni mosques to pray and they, too, have the right. Women were allowed to enter mosques even during the time of the Prophet," Zuhra had stated to the media. Further, the activists have alleged that the Prophet himself had allowed his wife to pray in a mosque and that there were records of the same.

Musliyar has stated that a Sharia conference would be held on Saturday in Kozhikode to discuss the earlier ruling on triple talaq by the central government.  

Earlier last week, following the Sabarimala verdict, CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan came out and questioned the restriction of women being allowed to enter Sunni mosques, “There should be no discrimination against women in any place, is the stance that [the party] are taking," he said.