50,000 Muslim women attend Sunni gathering at Azad Maidan in Mumbai

The event is organised by Sunni Dawate Islami, a non-political organisation. The first day was reserved for women.

More than 50,000 women gathered at Azad Maidan for the three-day annual Sunni Ijtema that began on Friday. The event is organised by Sunni Dawate Islami, a non-political organisation. The first day was reserved for women.

Muslim women gathered in large numbers at Azad Maidan during the annual Sunni Iljetma in Mumbai, on Friday. (Arijit Sen)

Scholars and established speakers, from India and abroad, will talk about Islamic knowledge and teachings.

Mufti Nizamuddin Razavi, one of the speakers in the event, spoke about marriages and divorce. “We need to educate ourselves first. Others can encroach upon our rights if we lack educational expertise,” he said, adding, “The main issue is that we are lagging behind owing to lack of education. We should do some introspection.”

The speakers listed important issues that the community needs to tackle with peace and harmony.

Aliya Thakur, 18, a participant, said people don’t know the religion in detail. “There are some rules and regulations in every religion which should be determined and followed accordingly,” she said. “Religious teachings and preachings prevent person from going awry. Women are treated on a par with men from the very start in Islam.”

Around two lakh people are expected to take part in the event on Saturday and Sunday.