Amid growing demands, Jaipur Mosque allows women to offer Namaz

Jaipur: Amid rising demands by Muslim women to allow them to enter and offer prayers in mosques across the country, the Jamia Masjid in Jaipur has made special arrangements for the fairer sex to offer 'individual Namaz' at a separate section in the Mosque. Joint Secretary of the Jamia Masjid, Jaipur, Mohammed Tahir Azaad, told ANI, that arrangements have been made for women, but they cannot offer Namaz, led by Imam, along with their male counterparts. "As far as women offering Namaz is concerned, they cannot offer Namaz along with the Imam. They can offer individual Namaz in the Mosque. There are two kinds of Namaz, one that is read along with an Imam can be read only by males," he said. He said such an arrangement has been made so that Muslim women do not miss out on Namaz because they are outdoors or busy in work. "Now, when women are outside, doing some work, and there is a risk of Namaz being missed, then they can offer prayers here after the males finish their prayer. A place has been designated for it where they can come and pray individually," he added. He further said Namaz is a right of every follower of Islam, whether male or female. Earlier, a group of Muslim women moved the Supreme Court demanding entry into all mosques in the country. The petition by the Muslim women reportedly asks that every mosque that receives monetary aid from the government be prohibited from discriminating against women. According to reports, women are allowed to enter mosques that have a separate space for them, but most mosques in India do not. A Muslim women's rights group is locked in a bitter legal battle with trustees of the Haji Ali Dargah, which barred women's entry into mosque's mausoleum in 2011. While defending its ban on women, the Haji Ali Dargah trust had reportedly said that it was a "grievous sin" as per Islam for women to be in close proximity of the grave of a male Muslim saint.