The entry of single or small groups of girls into the historic Jama Masjid in Old Delhi has now been prohibited. The Jama Masjid administration has issued an order in this regard. The Jama Masjid administration’s order has been criticized as having a fundamentalist mentality. People are questioning how someone can treat half of the population in this manner.
Even as Muslim women continue to fight for their rights around the world, the historic Jama Masjid in New Delhi has taken an unprecedented step to bar girls from entering.
Girls aren’t allowed inside Jama Masjid alone, anymore. pic.twitter.com/Rkeyij8uZM
— Shashank Shekhar Jha (@shashank_ssj) November 24, 2022
According to reports, the Jama Masjid administration has also posted signs outside the mosque informing visitors that girls are not permitted inside. The sign boards are located outside the mosque’s three entrances. The sign boards read, “It is forbidden for girls/women to enter Jama Masjid alone,” according to a Hindi daily.
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Females, however, will be permitted to enter the Mosque with their husbands or families, according to the masjid administration. People took offence and even chastised the administration for issuing the order, calling it a “fundamentalist mentality.”
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has condemned the order, calling it “anti-women.” It also urged the Women and Child Development Ministry and the National Women Commission to intervene in the matter.
#WATCH| Delhi|Women’s entry not banned. When women come alone-improper acts done, videos shot,ban is to stop this. No restrictions on families/married couples.Making it a meeting point inapt for religious places:Sabiullah Khan,Jama Masjid PRO on entry of women coming alone banned pic.twitter.com/HiOebKaiGr
— ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2022
It should be noted that the historic Jama Masjid was built between 1644 and 1656 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Aurangzeb, widely regarded as the last effective Mughal emperor, reigned for nearly 49 years until his death in 1707.
