NEW DELHI – A 34-year-old woman has led Jummah, a Friday prayer service ofMuslims, in Mallapuram,Kerala. This has been claimed to be the first in thehistory of the country.
She is Jamitha, the general secretary of Quran Sunnat Society. She took therole of the ‘imam’ of the prayers held at the office of the Society in theMuslim-dominated district yesterday.
Jummah, the congregational prayer held every Friday, is usually led by men.
Around 80 people, including women, gathered to attend the prayers, led bythe woman ‘Imam’, the Society sources said.
Jamitha, known as ‘Jamitha teacher’ among her fellow people, said the HolyQuran never discriminates between men and women and Islam never stops womenfrom being ‘imams’.
“It is for the first time that a woman is leading Jummah in the history ofour country. It was held at the central committee office of our Society,where we used to gather every Friday for the prayers,” she told PTI. Shealso mentioned that was not mandatory for the Jummah to be held only atmosques, she said.
Jamitha says she will continue to lead prayers on Friday.Representational image.’Jummah namaz is not binding on women, but if theychoose to do so, it is not a violation of the Sharia law.’Photo courtesyPinterest.
The radical move has kicked up a wide debate for and against the practiseof a woman leading Jumu’ah, on the social media.
Fundamentalists have been targeting Jamidha, harassing and threatening herover the phone as well as on social media for “going against Islam”.However, Jamidha is fearless.
“I have been receiving a number of threats through YouTube and Facebooksince yesterday. I am not bothered nor am I going to buckle under pressure.If they want, let them kill me,” Jamidha stated.
Maulana Khalid Nadwi, a professor at the Nadwa Seminary told *Times Now* thatJummah namaz is not binding on women, but if they choose to do so, it isnot a violation of the Sharia law.
“The rule is that only women are allowed to offer namaz when the prayersare led by a female. Men cannot partake in that congregation. Women,however, are allowed to offer namaz led by a male in the same place ifthere are rows of children between the men and women,” Nadwi