Where on one hand, women of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) are still fighting on lifting the ban that stops women from visiting the Haji Ali Dargah Mosque of Mumbai, Lucknow’s famous Eidgah in Aishbagh is set to make women more welcome in this religious space, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr today.

As per report, there will be a separate enclosure made especially for women, allowing them to say their Eid namaz. Imam of Aishbagh Eidgah Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali explains to The Times Of India, “This is the first time a separate enclosure exclusively for women namazis is being put in place for the EId-ul-Fitr namaz in Taiyab Hall of Eidgah. We are making special arrangements so that women devout are not forced to jostle through the crowd to reach to the main enclosure.”
An approximate 500 women are expected to attend the ‘Khutba’ (sermon), a very important part of Eid prayers. “If we find the turnout of women larger than our estimate, we will make arrangements accordingly in future too,” adds the Imam.
Prominent Shia cleric Maulana Tasoof Abbas has also approved this move with welcoming arms, stating that Islam never discriminated between men and women. He adds further, “Women have equal rights which should be respected by all. This is the right step in the right direction and we should all come forward to encourage such practices which are within the precinct of the Sharia.”
Women are not allowed entry into numerous mosques around the world, and are continuing to fight for recognition in not just religious but the social space as well. With Aishbagh Eidgah setting a milestone of its own on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, we hope that other communities across the globe follow suit in changing various repressive practices that have unjustly held down women for far too long.

 Feature Image Courtesy: Huffington Post 

Words: Karan Kaul