Asom: Trouble over women offering Namaz

Guwahati, July 09: A brave attempt by a section of Muslims of the mofussil town of Howli has gone awry when a radical section of muslims objected to allowing women to offer Friday prayers.

A "moderate" section of the community had allowed their women to offer prayers for their auspicious Friday prayers in Howli, 130 kms west of Guwahati. However, a radical section of the community felt that it went against the sentiments of the majority.

There were a few sporadic incidents of violence yesterday, but the situation was brought under control after intervention by the district administration.

''Now the situation is normal and we have accepted after a meeting that it was wrong to allow women to offer Friday prayers, which hurts the sentiments of majority of the people,'' said the Additional District Magistrate of Barpeta District Nazrul Islam.

The situation turned ugly following series of attacks by the hardliners on the moderates forcing the district administration to intervene.

The ADC, Islam, convened an urgent meeting of the Muslim clerics of the area and he himself presided over the same.

The Howli is a Muslim-dominated agricultural and fishery hub of lower Asom, catering to almost the entire need of Guwahati.

It started when a group of women managed to convince the Mosque authorities, with the help of the moderate faction and offered prayers.

The incident was hailed by the moderate Muslim society across the state and the womenfolk were equally jubilant with more women planning to offer prayers this Friday.

However, this act brought about a divide within the Muslim community with the moderate Jamat-E-Islami supporting women prayer citing that Quoran had not stopped women from praying in Mosque and all over world including in Mecca during Haj it has been a long tradition to allow women.

The radicals led by the District Dwin Talim Board opposed it tooth and nail saying that it was un-Islamic to allow women to prayer. There were several attacks on the moderate faction, the most serious one being on Friday night when Dewan Nazru Qadir was attacked at Howli.

''Everybody were present in the meeting and everybody expressed their opinion. The majority decision was that women should not be allowed to pray in the Friday prayer and we all have accepted it,'' said the ADC.

The meeting also decided that there would be no case registered against any such attacks and a social boycott called by the hardliners against the moderates must also be withdrawn for peace to return in this small mofussil town.

UNI