The Supreme Court today agreed to examine if religious places of all faiths can be reopened. The court has issued notice to the Centre, along with other states, made a party in the public interest petition filed, saying that religious places can be reopened with safety measures in place.
The Allahabad High Court recently permitted the recital of azaan during the lockdown by a single person—muezzins from mosques in UP—without using loudspeakers. While the recital of the azaan is held to be an essential and integral part of Islam, doing so through loudspeakers and sound amplifying devices
Exiled in 1994 for criticizing Islam in her novel Lajja, controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen is still dauntless and does not mince words when it comes to opposing religious fundamentalism and espousing the cause of freedom of expression.