The management of Mumbai’s iconic Sufi shrine Haji Ali Dargah, which is visited by thousands of devotees every year, has restricted the entry of women.
The Haji Ali Dargah Trust says it’s “un-Islamic under the Sharia” for women to visit graves and its decision is final.
The trust says women are free to be within the dargah’s compound but cannot enter the sanctum sanctorum that houses the tomb of 15th century Sufi saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.
“They can offer their prayers, do namaaz and offer shawls and flowers. We are only requesting our sisters not to enter inside the dargah,” Rizwan Merchant, a trustee and noted criminal lawyer was quoted as saying.
The issue has been raging for the past six months and has started to spark off protests now. Many are furious and have called the trust’s decision regressive.