AIMPLB Says Entry Of Women Into Mosques Allowed, Resists SC Adjudication

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) clarified that entry of women into mosques is permitted in Islam, according to media reports. The Board in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, has said that the entry of women into mosques to offer Namaz is allowed in Islam. It added that 'fatwas' contradicting this fundamental principle of Islam should be ignored.

The Board stated that women are free to enter masjids and offer namaz. However, it is not mandatory or obligatory for women to offer namaz in a congregation, it clarified.

In the eyes of the AIMPLB, the matter (of women praying in mosques) is not an issue courts should decide upon.

The matter came up in the Supreme Court following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a Muslim woman Yasmin Pirzada along with another woman. The Board also wished to be heard in the matter. It spelt out that mosques are private entities.

Experts of Muslim religious jurisprudence say that the Supreme Court should not adjudicate in this matter which concerns Islamic beliefs. Some have even said that a sound understanding of Islamic jurisprudence is necessary before anyone can make a pronouncement in the matter. Therefore, it is not an issue courts can decide upon.

Scholars of fiqah or Islamic jurisprudence point that it is obligatory or mandatory for men to offer namaz in the congregation in a mosque. However, in the case of women they can do so at their homes.

At the same time, there is no ban on entry of women into mosques to offer namaz. The common problem is that most mosques do not have enough space, they say.