Setting a precedent, a mosque in Shillong on Friday became the first to open to women in the entire North East.
Around 50 women of all age groups, including students, offered the ‘Jummah Namaj’ this morning as the Idgah Masjid in Laban, built by the Shillong Muslim Union, here opened to the faithfuls.
“It was a distant dream for us, but we achieved it. So long, women were given status of a mother and daughter, but they also should be given the right to pray,” said general secretary of the SMU Saidullah Nongrum.
Executive member of the union Noor Nongrum said women could offer prayers five times in the mosque on Fridays.
“Women should be treated as par with men. We have tried it through this endeavour, and we are proud to fulfil this,” he said.
While dismissing the notion that Muslim women are not allowed inside the mosque, he said nowwehere – whether in the Quran or the Hadish, is it written that women can’t enter the mosque.
Men and women enjoy equal rights everywhere in the world and we tried the bridge the gap between the sexes in the region, Nongrum said.
The women who offered prayers today appeared elated and acknowledged the ‘right’ given to them.
However, the mosque authorities had laid down a Pardah to separate the men from the woemn folk while offering the prayer inside the mosque.
Around 3,000 devotees can offer prayers at the mosque.
