Muslim Women to Be 'Freed' From Burqas, Says UP Minister Who Wrote Against Mosque Loudspeakers
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: An Uttar Pradesh minister who wrote to the Ballia district magistrate against loudspeakers in mosques a day ago has on March 24 said that Muslim women will be "freed" from the practice of wearing the burqa.
"Muslim women will be freed from 'burqa' like triple talaq. There will come a time when they can get rid of it. There are many Muslim countries where 'burqa' is banned," Anand Swarup Shukla reportedly told mediapersons, without elaborating on his claim.
Shukla is the Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs minister. He also said that the 'burqa' is an "inhuman and evil custom" and added that those with progressive thinking are "shunning it".
He compared the practice of wearing the burqa to the triple talaq, which was banned by the Centre. The Bill that makes the instant triple talaq a criminal offence and provides for a jail term to a Muslim man for the crime was passed in the Rajya Sabha on the second attempt in 2019, by the BJP government.
Also read: Mosque Reduces Azaan Volume by Half After Allahabad University VC's Complaint
On his letter to the DM in which he raised objections to the volume of loudspeakers at a mosque near his house, the minister said on Wednesday that those having problems should dial '112' and inform police about it, adding that if proper steps are not taken, he will decide on a further course of action.
"Namaaz is offered five times in a day, and throughout the day. As a result of it, I face problems in doing yoga, meditation, puja and discharging government duties," Shukla had said in the letter.
Shukla had said there are a number of schools in the vicinity of the mosque, where studies are hampered.
Shukla's mosque letter comes two days after the committee at Lal Mosque, on which Allahabad University vice-chancellor Sangita Srivastava had written a letter to the district magistrate decided to reduce the volume by 50% and also change the direction of the speaker away from her house.
Srivastava had written that she was forced awake every morning due to the call to prayer.
(With PTI inputs)
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