K Alikkutyy Musaliyar

MALAPPURAM/KOZHIKODE: Reiterating its stand opposing entry of women into mosques, the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama — an influential body of Sunni scholars and clerics — said on Tuesday that Muslim women should offer prayers inside their homes.

Samastha general secretary K Alikkutyy Musaliyar said, “We cannot accept court’s intervention in religious matters. We should follow the directions from religious leaders.”

He was speaking to reporters in the backdrop of the Supreme Court decision to send a notice to Centre after considering a petition seeking a directive to allow women to enter mosques to offer prayers.

Samastha has taken a similar stand on the Sabarimala women entry issue as well, added Musaliyar.

Musaliyar said that only men should offer prayers in mosques. “The rule regarding women entry into mosques is not new. It has been in existence for the past 1,400 years and prophet Muhammed has given a clarification regarding this,” he said.

Sunni leader and All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar said that courts should intervene in matters related to faith only after consulting religious leaders.

The basic principle of Islam is that home is the best place for women to offer prayers. Women go to Mecca mosque as part of performing haj and umrah. That practice need not be extended to other mosques and other circumstances, he said.

Kanthapuram said that only a negligible minority, that has moved away from the fundamentals of Islam, favour women’s entry into mosque. “Such elements that are divorced from the basics of Islam are responsible for deviant and extremist thinking,” he said.

The Sunni leader said that he will appraise the authorities as to what is Islam’s real position on entry of women to mosques.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a petition seeking permission for Muslim women to enter mosques to offer prayers. A bench headed by justice S A Bobde issued notice to the Centre and asked it to respond to the plea filed by a Pune-based couple. The bench told the counsel appearing for the petitioners that it will hear the matter because of the apex court’s judgment in the Sabarimala temple case.

