Fourteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Hierarchical divisions exist among Muslims in India, which sometimes correspond to Hindu caste system in its tenor, meanings, and practices. However, Muslims ardently claim that their religion is egalitarian, and it does not promote any social divisions. If Islam were to be egalitarian, the paradigmatic space in which this should be exemplified is mosque. The mosque is conceived by Muslims as a site devoted to Allah and as per Islam, everyone is equal in front of Allah. However, I show that various kinds of status and ranking are written into the space of the mosque in terms of who can pray where, who can contribute to what sort of programs and activities in the mosque, and who can be buried at specific locations in the attached graveyard of the mosque. By drawing upon a recent controversy and continuing legal battle in a mosque in Kerala regarding the participation of Muslim barbers in the deliberations and functioning of the mosque, this article shows that mosque represents not only the space of religiosity but also as a site of imagination of equality for the lower castes among Muslims.