Skip to main content

Muslim Women Can Now Travel For Haj Without Male Guardian


NEW DELHI: Terming the policy of allowing Muslim women to perform Haj only in the company of a male guardian as “injustice”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government has removed the restriction following which hundreds of women have applied to travel alone for the pilgrimage.
According to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, now Muslim women aged above 45 will be allowed to go for the pilgrimage without ‘mahram’ in a group of at least four.
In his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki baat’, the prime minister said removal of the restriction of having a male guardian or ‘mahram’ may appear as a “small thing”, but such issues “have a far reaching impact on our image as a society”.
He said when he first heard of the restriction, he was surprised as to who wold have drafted such a rule. “Why this discrimination? And when I went into the depth of the matter I was surprised to find that even after 70 years of our independence, we were the ones who had imposed these restrictions. For decades, injustice was being rendered to Muslim women but there was no discussion on it,” he said in his broadcast.
He pointed out that such a restriction is not prevalent in many Islamic countries.
“I am happy to note that this time about 1300 Muslim women have applied to perform Haj without ‘mahram’ and women from different parts of the country from Kerala to north India, have expressed their wish to go for the Haj pilgrimage,” he said.
He said he has suggested to the Ministry of Minority Affairs that they should ensure that all women who have applied to travel alone be allowed to perform Haj.
“Usually there is a lottery system for selection of Haj pilgrims but I would like that single women pilgrims should be excluded from this lottery system and they should be given a chance as a special category,” he said.
He said it is his firm belief that the journey of India’s progress has been possible due to women-power and on the basis of their talent…it should be our constant endeavour that our women also get equal rights and equal opportunities…,” he said.
While referring to Muslim women and their rights, the prime minister did not mention about the bill passed by Lok Sabha last week which bans the practice of instant triple talaq.
He, however, had referred to the issue of instant triple talaq or ‘talaq-e-biddat’ while inaugurating the 85th Sivagiri Pilgrimage Celebrations at Sivagiri Mutt in Kerala via video conference this morning.
Speaking about Christmas, Prime Minister Modi said Lord Jesus Christ taught us about the spirit of service or ‘sewa bhaav’. “Be it any religion, caste or creed, tradition or colour in this world; the spirit of service is an invaluable hallmark of the highest human values,” he said.
He also recalled the life of Guru Gobind Singh which was full of instances of courage and sacrifice.
On the 350th anniversary of the Sikh guru, he said Guru Gobind Singh preached the virtues of sublime human values and at the same time, practiced them in his own life in letter and spirit.
PTI


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dua to recite in second ten days of ramadan

Second Ashra – Days Of Forgiveness Forgiveness is to do Astaghfaar for all sins committed so far by Muslims especially in the second Ashra of Ramadan and to repent unto Allah. Do Astaghfaar, feel sorry, desist from committing it again, and make sure not to fall for the same sin again.Dua for the second Ashra is: Translation:   “I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, from every sin I committed” –     Days Of Maghfirah These are the days of Maghfirah and in the mid of Ramadan Allah’s forgiveness is at peak. He forgives only those who prostrate in front of Him with ashamed spirit and pledge in heart not to do the same again ever. Do Tauba as Allah loves those who repent on their sins, verily He is the only forgiver. –     Be Kind – Forgive All While you are asking for Allah’s forgiveness in this Ashra make sure that you do the same to our fellow Muslims by adopting alike trait of your Lord and let forgive them for all th...
2 comments
Read more

10 Oldest Manuscripts of The Quran

Allah said in Surah al-Hijr, Ayah 09: Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its Guardian. And undoubtedly, the present-day Quran is same as the Quran which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In this post, we take a look at some of the oldest manuscripts of the Quran, including ones that date back to the days of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. 10 Oldest Manuscripts of The Quran 1. Birmingham Quran Manuscript In 2015, at the University of Birmingham, scientists found an old Quranic manuscript on parchment, using clearly legible Arabic Hijazi script. It is said to be one of the oldest manuscripts, and it dates back to sometime between 568 and 645 CE, that is, probably sometime during the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself. 2. Sana’a Quran Manuscript The Sana’a Quran manuscript was found in Yemen in 1972 during the restoration of the Great Masjid of Sana’a. The manuscript is written on parchmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cry Out For Him – Allah Loves Your Tears!

There are many great virtues for crying out of fear from Allah. Allah praised some of His Prophets, then explained the reason for the praise as in His saying: When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell in prostration and weeping. (Quran: 19: 58) Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said: One who weeps out of fear of Allah, will not enter the Hell till milk returns back in the udder; and the dust raised on account of fighting in the path of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never exist together. (At-Tirmidhi) The Prophet said: Seven people Allah will give them His Shade on the Day when there would be no shade but the Shade of His Throne (i.e., on the Day of Resurrection): And they are: … and a man who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes become tearful. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) Ibn Abbas reported: “I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: Two eyes will never be touched by the fire of Hell; an eye which weeps out of Fear of...
Post a Comment
Read more