Deoband wants Muslim women to remain in 'purdha'

 It directed them to remain in “purdha” for the sake of saving their honour and protecting them against “mischief”. 

The religious decree came on heels of a similar fatwa by the muslim seminary that had recently asked muslim women not to go for abortion unless it was advised by a “pious muslim doctor”. Today’s fatwa was in response to a question by a muslim women who wanted to know if they like their male counterparts could also go to far off places to take part in religious meetings and preach religion. 

“It is time of mischief and it is very hard for the woman to save her honour...because of this the women are not allowed to come to the mosques of their locality’’, the fatwa said in reply. It instead posed: “Is it really necessary for a woman to go on jamaats (religious groups), local, national, international or is it enough to seek and give dawah (inviting people to understand islam...an islamic missionary) from their homes.

The fatwa said women might step out of their homes unless there was any “compulsion” to do so. Deoband had also earlier declared that women should not wear jeans as it was `unislamic’ and barred them from working in offices without veil.