SHITE MOSLEM WOMEN PRAY AT THE MAIN MOSQUE IN LUCKNOW, 1998-01-15 (photo)

Shi'ite Moslem women pray at the main mosque in the northern Indian city of Lucknow January 9. Until about six months ago this would have been unheard of in a community which forbade women the right to join the congregation for Friday prayers. Sadaf Rizvi, a 19-year-old daughter of a local cleric, spearheaded a movement last year to secure women equal rights to offer prayers, albeit separated by a curtain from men. The move at first shocked conservatives of the community, but it has now been widely accepted and their attendance has swelled to at least 150 a week. INDIA