‘No bar in Islam on women in mosques, but they cannot seek entry via main door’: Muslim board to SC

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board on Thursday told the Supreme Court that there is no bar in Islam on Muslim women visiting mosques, The Indian Express reported.

However, they cannot demand entry through the main door of the mosque, or not to have a barrier inside separating them from the men, the board told a bench hearing a case involving constitutional questions related to the entry of women into Kerala’s Sabarimala temple and discrimination at other religious places.

The case before the Supreme Court stems from a September 2018 verdict of a five-judge Constitution bench which had, by a 4:1 majority, lifted a ban on women of menstruating age from entering the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.

Petitions seeking the entry of women into mosques and offering prayers have been tagged along with the Sabarimala reference due to constitutional questions related to the right to practice religion and the right of religious denominations to manage their internal affairs, Live Law reported. A nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant is hearing the matter.

On Thursday, advocate MR Shamshad, for the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, was replying to the petitions on the entry of women into mosques, Live Law reported. During the proceedings, the chief justice sought clarity on whether women are allowed to...

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