Is it profane to pray?

To counter the Palayam Imam8217;s move, some moulvis issued fatwas against the entry of Muslim women into the Palayam Juma Masjid. The activists of Sunni Yuvajana Sangham demonstrated outside the mosque where the women were praying.

Perhaps the most vocal criticism of the Imam8217;s decision came from Kanthapuram A.P. Abubacker Musaliar, General Secretary of the All India Jamiyyathul Ulama, who declared that women attending mosques for mass prayers, participating in public activities and sharing public venues with men are against the dictates of Shariat.

But the orthodox sections obviously overlooked the groundswell of support evoked by the Imam8217;s decision. The response of the Muslim women in the State was spontaneous and overwhelming.

Organisations of Muslim women in the State such as the women8217;s wing of Jama8217;at-e-Islami Hind and Girls8217; Islamic Organisation literally took to the streets to denounce the stance of the orthodox leadership.

The massive participation of Muslim women of different ages and social strata in the district conventions organised by the Jamaiat-e-Islami in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode recently, to press women8217;s right to pray in mosques, made the orthodox sections sit up and take notice. Those meetings heard fiery speeches by leaders of Muslim women8217;s organisations against their religious leadership which 8220;refuses to change with the times and denies women freedom of worship granted by the Prophet8221;.

Muslim women of Kerala, silently suffering subjugation in their community for decades, have never before come out so openly against their religious leadership. Like their counterparts in many other parts of India, Muslim women here too are prohibited from praying in mosques, except in the few managed by organisations such as the Jama8217;at-e-Islami in northern Kerala. In some places, Muslim women are not even allowed to enter graveyards.

The Palayam Imam8217;s decision has sparked off a meaningful debate among Muslim intellectuals, scholars and religious leaders across the country about the propriety of throwing open the portals of mosques to women.

8220;The Quran and the Hadiths holy texts of Islamic religion do not prohibit women from praying in mosques. Nor is there any saying of the Prophet proscribing it. On the contrary, many Quranic verses bear testimony to the fact that women used to freely pray in mosques during the holy Prophet8217;s time. Even today, women are allowed to pray in the holiest of holy mosques in Mecca and Medina five times on all days. Even in many Arabian and Gulf countries, women enjoy this freedom of worship. So the bar on women in mosques in Kerala is unIslamic and unjustifiable,8221; says Fathima Moosa, Kerala State President of the Jama8217;at-e-Islami.

8220;The entry of women into mosques is now being opposed by the same forces that once denied Muslim women the opportunity to read and write. A section of the conservative Muslim leadership seems to have a vested interest in keeping Muslim women educationally and socially backward,8221; says E.S. Aisha Koottilangadi, President of the Muslim-dominated Malappuram district unit of the Jama8217;at-e-Islami.

8220;Islamic laws have always been interpreted by men in a way that secured their interests. If the male chauvinists have no objection to Muslim women going to markets and movie theatres, why should they object to their entry into mosques?8221;, asks P. Mariyumma, State President of Girls Islamic Organisation.

Echoing similar sentiments, I. Hammad, General Secretary of the All India Muslim Education Society, says: 8220;Women the world over enter mosques and pray. This is a running practice in Mecca and Medina. Women get a feeling of collective belonging when they pray in a group. Why should they be deprived of it?8221;.

Two other Muslim intellectuals in Kerala 8212; Justice P.K. Shamsuddeen, former Judge of Kerala High Court, and Prof K.M. Bahauddeen, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University 8212; also defend the right of Muslim women to worship in mosques.

But the conservative sections have refused to relent. A. Pookunju, President of Kerala Muslim Jamaat, strongly resents the current move to allow Muslim women to pray in mosques and warns that it could lead to many problems which may mar the sanctity of places of worship.

Kanthapuram Abubacker Musaliar was more outspoken: 8220;Some people are misinterpreting the dictates of the Quran and Hadiths to suit their profane needs. The Quran has stated specifically that women should be allowed to leave their homes only when it is extremely unavoidable such as during medical emergencies. You would not keep gold in the open like iron. Women need to be protected like gold.8221;

Joining issue with Kanthapuram, Rehanam, an Islamic scholar, says: 8220;Kanthapuram has the reputation of shooting from the hip on issues concerning women8217;s rights under Islam. His statement underscores the entrenched male chauvinism and outrageous unIslamic intolerance towards Muslim women who have equal responsibilities as men towards the Muslim community in particular and other communities in general according to Quranic injunctions.

8220;The Quran and traditions mandate that Muslim boys and girls be compulsorily educated to be able to become equal partners in life. Kanthapuram tends to quote some unauthenticated traditions to support his views that men should have domination over women who have therefore to swallow all the dictates falsely foisted on them in the name of Islam.8221; The orthodox leadership fears that the demand by Muslim women for permission to pray in mosques will mark the beginning of a campaign against many other Shariat dictates that weigh against women, such as polygamy, divorce and purdah.