Jama Masjid's Shahi Imam Revokes Order On Women's Entry After Request From Delhi L-G

The shahi imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid has agreed to revoke the order on entry of girls without families after speaking to Delhi L-G VK Saxena, who requested him to withdraw the diktat.

The shahi imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid has agreed to revoke the order on entry of girls without families after speaking to Delhi L-G VK Saxena, who requested him to withdraw the diktat.

The Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid on Thursday has revoked the order on entry of girls without families following a severe backlash from political parties and activists. The revocation comes with the condition that visitors should respect and maintain the sanctity of the place.

Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the shahi imam of Jama Masjid, agreed to revoke the order after speaking to Delhi L-G VK Saxena, who requested him to withdraw the diktat.

Speaking on the order, he said earlier: "Jama Masjid is a place of worship and people are welcome for that. But girls coming alone and waiting for their dates... this is not what this place is meant for. The restriction is on that."

Jama Masjid PRO Sabiullah Khan said: "There is no restriction on girls/women coming with families, no restriction on married couples either. When women come alone, they indulge in improper acts and shoot videos. The ban is to stop this." "This cannot be a meeting point; people should not think of this place as a park or a spot to shoot TikTok videos. It's not right for any religious place — be it a mosque, a temple, or a gurdwara," he said.

The order invited backlash from several quarters, including the Delhi Commission for Women. The panel served a notice on the imam, seeking reason for such an order. DCW chief Swati Maliwal said: “The decision to stop the entry of women into Jama Masjid is absolutely wrong. As much as a man has the right to worship, so does a woman. I am issuing notice to the Imam of Jama Masjid. No one has the right to ban the entry of women like this,” she tweeted.

"This is an unconstitutional step taken by them. Do they think this is Iran, where they can discriminate against women and no one will say anything? A woman has an equal right to pray as a man. DCW will make sure the ban is removed,” she said.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)