.... Leading Shia cleric and scholar Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, however, believed in the line adopted by the Nadwa principal. Asked how an Islamic state like Iran allowed women to participate in various political activities, he replied: "Well, Iran does have women members of parliament, who go through the process of elections, but they strictly follow the `purdah` system."
"Even when they sit in their parliament, they observe complete seclusion," he said, adding this could not be possible in Indian parliament. "Any woman entering the electoral fray would have to go into lanes and bylanes, stand on dais and brush shoulders with men. How can Islam permit all that?" he asked. [Jihad Watch] Read more
