Shazia Ilmi thrashes Shahi Imam’s remarks, says he wants to create own version of Islam

Shahi Imam of Ahmedabad's Jama Masjid has said that giving election tickets to women is anti-Islam and is weakening the religion.

New Delhi, Dec 05: Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Shazia Ilmi reacted sharply to the comments made by Shahi Imam of Ahmedabad's Jama Masjid, Shabbir Ahmed Siddiqui who had said that giving tickets to women is anti-Islam. She accused him of creating his own version of Islam.

Earlier the Shahi Imam said that those giving election tickets to Muslim women are against Islam as they are weakening our religion. Are they no men left, he had asked.

Ilmi cited examples of various women Muslim leaders across the world who held political positions over a period of time.

It is strange someone is saying that Muslim women should not seek tickets. Does he want to make females invisible and does he not want women's political participation, she asked. Does he know anything about his own religion? Does he know that many Muslim women have been heads of their respective states, Presidents and Prime Ministers over a period of time, Ilmi said in a self-made video.

On the Imam's comments on women not being allowed to offer namaz, Ilmi said that she herself has offered namaz at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. I do not understand which religion he is talking about. It seems you want to create your own version of Islam. This religion is of women as much as it is of men.

If you talk Islam, there is nothing more important than offering namaz. Have you seen any women offering namaz in public? If it was okay in Islam for women to come in public and offer namaz, they would not have been stopped, Ahmed had said.

The remarks were made by Ahmed on Sunday, just a day before the second phase of the Gujarat assembly elections. Counting of votes will take place on December 8.