- A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court pleading that Muslim women be allowed to enter and offer namaz inside mosques.The petitioner asked the apex court to declare the prohibition on entry of women inside mosques in the country as illegal and unconstitutional.
- The petition was filed on the grounds that (a)there is nothing in the Quran and the Hadith that requires gender segregation (b)the act of prohibition of females from entering Mosque is void and unconstitutional and (c)such practices are not only repugnant to the basic dignity of a woman as an individual but also violative of the fundamental rights
- The petitioner has also cited the apex court judgment in the Sabarimala matter where the court had said that religion cannot be used as cover to deny rights of worship to women.Further,the petition has said that women are allowed in mosques in Saudi Arabia,UAE,Egypt,US,UK and Singapore.
- At present,women are allowed to offer prayers at mosques under the Jamaat-e-Islami and Mujahid denominations but they are barred from entering mosques under the predominant Sunni faction.Even in mosques where women are allowed,there are separate entrances and enclosures for men and women.
