Quarrel Erupts as Women Prevented from Friday Prayers in Mosque
Pics: Sphoorti Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SR/CN)
Mangalore, Sep 17: Trouble brewed in city's Noor Masjid when a group of women were prevented from offering Friday prayers at the mosque on September 17.
Noor Masjid, which holds the distinction for being the first mosque in the city to allow Muslim women worshippers within its portals, was recently emroiled in a dispute when a group of women approached the high court for not being allowed to offer Friday prayers in the mosque.
The court ruled in the women's favour and ordered that they should be allowed to partake in the Eid-ul-Fitr and Friday prayers. However, the court's final decision on the matter is still awaited.
The mosque allows women to offer prayers in a separate room everyday, except on Friday afternoons when a large number of men gather resulting in a shortage of space. On September 17, when women entered the room designated for them, men had already occupied it. When some of the male supporters of the ladies asked them to leave, they refused and a fight ensued. Though police arrived on the spot, they could do little to stop the quarrel.
However, the issue was soon sorted out and the women were allowed to offer prayers outside the room.