Mosques' women policy criticised

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East Midlands MEP Robert Kilroy-Silk has urged the government to pass a new law to force mosques to open their doors to women.

Mr Kilroy-Silk, who sits as an independent MEP, has written to ministers calling for urgent action.

He said not allowing women into mosques meant they were being regarded as "second-class citizens".

But a spokeswoman for a Muslim women's group said it was an issue for Muslims themselves to debate and solve.

This is totally unacceptable, it's demeaning, it's wrong Robert Kilroy-Silk MEP

Mr Kilroy-Silk said: "It's not just that they don't allow men to pray alongside women but they actually don't like them to participate in the running of the organisation.

"Why are we putting up with this? This is totally unacceptable. It's demeaning. It's wrong."

He added: "Muslim women have a right to be treated with dignity. They have a right to be equal under the law and in this particular case the law is not being applied properly."

Sabreen Rahmat, from the Nottingham-based Asian Women's Project, said: "It's definitely an issue that's worth highlighting but I believe it's something that the Muslim community ourselves should be looking into."