On 27 January, a senior journalist moved the apex court pursuing impleadment in the petitions, which sought a direction to permit the Muslim women to enter and offer prayers inside the mosque.
On 16 April 2019, the SC issued a notice on a petition filed by Yasmeen Zuber Ahmad Peerzade, seeking a direction to permit Muslim women to enter the mosque to offer prayers. The petitioner further sought to declare the customary tradition of denying women the mosque as illegal and unconstitutional. Now, the petitioner Ziya Us Salam who has been associated with a leading magazine had requested the apex court for impleadment in the petition which was filed by Peerzade, stating that neither the Quran nor the Hadith prohibits the entry of Muslim women in the mosques.
“In fact, in Quran at nearly 60 places, Allah asks both men and women to ‘establish’ prayer, as opposed to merely offering prayer. Praying in isolation does not amount to establishing prayer,” stated the petition filed by Ziya Us Salam. He further referred that Prophet Mohammad himself has permitted women to enter mosque which is well respected in mosques across West Asia, Europe, and America.
“Men and Women pray at Masjid-al-Haram in Mecca and they pray in Al-Masjid al Nabvi in Medina,” he contended.
Earlier on 13 January, a 9-judge Constitution bench said that it would deal with the larger issue of whether courts can interfere in particular religious practices, citing the entry of women and girls of all ages in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple, female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and barring of Parsi women, married to non-Parsi men, from the holy fireplace at Agiary. The court further asserted that it would also consider hearing the batch of petitions which sought direction for the entry of Muslim women in the mosque.
Salam is an author of various books which include “Women in Masjid- A quest for Justice,” which has argued that in Islam, Men and Women are equals and that Islam does not prohibit the entry of Muslim Women in Islam, rather encourages it.
Through the present petition, he sought impleadment stating that he can provide a reliable insight into the issues for consideration in the present petition and assist the court in making a fully informed decision.
