A Mosque Only for Women
A Muslim women’s group
in Tamil Nadu is to build a mosque exclusively for women.
The Tamil Nadu Muslim Women’s Jamaat will set up the
mosque at Perambur in Pudukottai district, about 600 kilometer
south of Chennai, according to Sharifa Khanum, an activist
of the Jamaat.”We have identified a piece of land.
The formalities are being complied with,” she said
on Monday.Khanum and her Muslim women’s group has
been lobbying for a separate mosque for women for the last
two years.
When the group wanted to build the mosque on land meant
for a school, it led to a controversy.
The Muslim women of Pudukottai and neighboring areas set
up the Jaamat last year despite resistance from conservative
religious groups.
It now has more than 5,000 members, from 10 Tamil Nadu districts.”Though
initially there was opposition from men, signs of recognition
are now evident,” said Khanum.
Khanum said the women’s Jamaat had received 55 complaints
related to demands for dowry, over talaq, and harassment.
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