Darul Uloom Deoband, the Sunni Islamic seminary in Uttar Pradesh, has banned the entry of women into the campus.

Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, head of the seminary that only has male students, told reporters on Friday that women used to enter the campus and shoot videos for social media.

“Some women would make reels here and post it on social media. Many such videos were criticised by the people. It is an academic centre that cannot be used by someone for publicity. The students also used to feel distracted when women shot their videos here,” Nomani said.

He said some women met him and protested against the move, but the issue was thoroughly discussed and they understood the problem.

“Besides our campus, they have also been prohibited from going inside Rashidiya Mosque and the under-construction library of the university,” he added.

The entry of female family members of the students who live in the hostels of Darul Uloom has also been banned.

Mostly in the news for issuing fatwas, the 168-year-old institute is the oldest in the world after Jam’a-e-Azhar in Cairo. Students from across the world come to study here. Its buildings, particularly Rashidiya Mosque, are known for their architectural brilliance.