Equal Right To Pray: Discrimination At Places Of Worship

This week the Supreme Court hearing the case for entry of women to Sabarimala temple in Kerala observed that women have as much right to pray as men and even questioned whether this was a form of discrimination against women. Another significant case due in Supreme Court is on the issue of Nikah Halala which was meant to protect women from being divorced lightly but has been totally misused and corrupted. Both these cases bring up broader issues regarding the treatment of women in religion. Many of our religious practices today have evolved in a deeply patriarchal society and as such women are often oppressed and not treated at par with men. In this episode of We The People, we debate whether putting restrictions on women is something that is common to all religions and whether having more women in positions of power can bring about a change in their favour.