Haji Ali entry ban leaves women fuming
8 Nov 2012 4:21 AM IST
The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a women's group, Tuesday expressed anger over entry restrictions for women at the iconic Haji Ali shrine in the city.
However, the shrine trust said that the entry curbs have been in place for years now, and that the women were out only to get cheap publicity.
‘We had visited the shrine in August and were restricted from entering the sanctum sanctorum, where the saint's grave is,’ Noorjehan Safia Niaz, founding member of BMMA, said. Anguished at the curbs, members of BMMA surveyed 20 shrines of the city and said that only seven of these did not allow women near the grave. ‘But what worries us is that eventually the curbs will be put in place at all dargahs. Since Haji Ali is an iconic shrine, others will soon follow suit,’ Niaz added.
President of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust S.M. Merchant, however, said that women can read their prayers, do namaz and offer shawls and flowers. They are allowed within the premises.
However, the shrine trust said that the entry curbs have been in place for years now, and that the women were out only to get cheap publicity.
‘We had visited the shrine in August and were restricted from entering the sanctum sanctorum, where the saint's grave is,’ Noorjehan Safia Niaz, founding member of BMMA, said. Anguished at the curbs, members of BMMA surveyed 20 shrines of the city and said that only seven of these did not allow women near the grave. ‘But what worries us is that eventually the curbs will be put in place at all dargahs. Since Haji Ali is an iconic shrine, others will soon follow suit,’ Niaz added.
President of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust S.M. Merchant, however, said that women can read their prayers, do namaz and offer shawls and flowers. They are allowed within the premises.
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