Kerala’s First Woman Imam Faces Backlash For Leading Friday Prayers

Jamida Teacher, who sang the auspicious Juma prayers received massive outrage for apparently going against the tradition of Islam as per the extremists. It is the first time that a mosque in India (the Quran Sunnat Society Central Committee office in Wandoor in Malappuram district of Kerala) chose a woman to lead the prayers of Juma’h.

"I am receiving phone calls from mosque committees telling me that I have defied Islam. On social media too, there are people who are speaking against me, claiming that I am trying to destroy the religion and its ways,” Jamida tells TNM. The 34-year-old who broke barriers and thought gender gap will come down after she pioneers the Juma prayers is now contemplating, “But will change in the society come so easily?”

This lady (Jamida Teacher) belongs to a particular group which denying the all "Hadees" and also denying some part of Qur'an. These people are not true Muslims.

— MOHAMED RASHEED (@abumusfira333) January 28, 2018

Death threat against Jamida Teacher alleging Anti-Islam|FIR https://t.co/aMmX1gcZzT

— Vipin C S (@vipincs) January 26, 2018

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The general secretary of Quran Sunnat Society, Teacher who sang the Adhan and the Khutbah praised the Sunnat Society for its progressive outlook, “Quran Sunnat Society works for several movements including ones against the primitive, unfair practice of triple talaq. I have faced death threats in the past for leading those campaigns and I am sure, this move of mine has upset the high and mighty. Maybe they will want to wipe me off the face of the earth, but I am ready for it.”

In an earlier interaction with the media, Teacher had sounded hopeful of the historical change. She had said men lead Juma prayers in all parts of the country and this decision has questioned male supremacy.

Quran is not discriminatory towards women. The idea put forth in the text is that of gender equality and not of discrimination. Have you seen women holding any position in a mosque? No. All these years, the men who hold power treated us that way and kept us out so that they could continue to rule over us.

Jamida also said that Islam is free of bias. It is the Muslim scholars who meddled with the religious acts and devoured it in patriarchy.

"Quran is not discriminatory towards women. The idea put forth in the text is that of gender equality and not of discrimination. Have you seen women holding any position in a mosque? No. All these years, the men who hold power treated us that way and kept us out so that they could continue to rule over us. This is exactly why Islamic preachers on a television debate condemned what I did, but could not prove that my action was against the Quran. Precisely because it wasn't," Jamida explains.

Picture credit- The News Minute