Representational image | Photo Credit: PTI

New Delhi: Days after the Supreme Court allowed women in the age group of 10 to 50 years to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, a progressive Muslim women's forum 'NISA' has decided to approach the SC to seek entry in Sunni mosques. NISA president VP Zuhra said the group will approach the SC in this regard next week.

"In Sunni mosques, women are not at all allowed to enter for prayers. In the present scenario when the apex court has granted permission for Hindu ladies to enter the Sabarimala shrine, why Muslim women have been barred from the entry. For this, we have decided to appeal to the apex court. I have spoken to the advocates regarding this."

"Even during the times of prophet, I have learnt that women who are in their menstruating age were allowed to pray in the mosques. When the prophet himself advocated such things, why are women in India suffering", asked Zuhra?

At present, women are permitted to offer prayers at mosques under Jamaat-e-Islami and Mujahid denominations; however, they are barred from mosques under the predominant Sunni faction, said the NISA chief. "Our demand is to end this gender discrimination and allow Muslim women to pray in all mosques, cutting across denominations."

She further appealed to the orthodox section in the community to give an explanation regarding who had asked them to impose such restrictions on women. "There is no such gender discrimination to offer worship in Mecca, the holy city. The faithful, both men and women, together circle the Kaaba. Then why are the restrictions imposed on us in our mosques?" she said.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) secretary and legal counsel Zafaryab Jilani, meanwhile, said women are not barred from performing namaz at any mosque in India, and for that matter, across the world.

On September 28, the five-judge Constitution Bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra (since retired), by 4:1 verdict, had ruled that the ban on women in the menstruating age group violated their fundamental rights and the constitutional guarantee of equality.