Kerala mosque boycotts family for letting women on stage at marriage function

The family faced mosque's ire for allowing women and children to have 'fun'

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At a time when controversial fatwas issued by religious clerics draw widespread ire, a family in Kerala's Palakkad district was allegedly ostracised by the local mosque committee. And the crime? They allowed women and children to have some fun during a marriage function.

The function was held at Edappal in neighbouring Malappuram district on December 28.

Danish Riyaz and his family in Thrithala village hosted the wedding reception where women were allowed to climb on the dais and pose for photographs. 

The mahallu (mosque) committee also accused the family of allowing women to speak over microphone to bless the newly-wed couple, arranging an orchestra to entertain the guests and allowing children to dance on the stage.

The mosque committee found all these practices in violation of its traditional rules and allegedly issued a temporary boycott order against the family.

On February 11, Riyaz took to Facebook to write an open letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Thrithala MLA V.T. Balram seeking their intervention in the issue.

Riyaz says the mosque committee publicly insulted them during the Friday prayers.

“It was all my fault. I couldn't stop the women who stepped on the stage to bless the bride and groom. When they shared their happiness over the microphone, I couldn't stop them. When the kids shook their legs at their best to the music and when I saw their happiness, I couldn't stop them. It was me who arranged the orchestra and made them play music, though there was no singer. Neither my family, nor my grandfather, who is the mahallu president, has any role in it. It was me who made all arrangements for the wedding,” reads Riyaz's Facebook post.

He says he is ready to accept any decision of the mosque committee, but requests that his family members be exempted from the 'punishment'.

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