Finally, women enter Haji Ali sanctum

Mumbai: The Haji Ali Dargah Trust on Tuesday allowed women access to the iconic mausoleum’s sanctum sanctorum, but new rules bar everyone from touching the shrine of saint Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

For the first time since 2012, the trust allowed women to enter the shrine, following orders from the Supreme Court. The move is considered a ‘massive victory for equality’ by Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) who moved the court in August 2014 petitioning against the ban that was brought in place in 2012. “Till 2012, women were allowed to enter the dargah, but suddenly access was restricted, citing religious laws. But, we decided to raise our voice and moved court,” said Zakia Soman, the co-founder of the BMMA. Ms Soman is one of the 200 women from BMMA who walked the ramp leading to the dargah around 2 pm and entered the shrine.  Till 2012, women were allowed entry till the sanctum sanctorum including the grave of the saint, but then access was discontinued.

Many women were surprised to see the doors that earlier barred their entry were open. “I thought it must be a mistake or that they were cleaning the area, but then I saw a woman entering and looking around and no one stopped her so I too entered the shrine,” said Munaira Shaikh. Her daughter, aged 19, said this was the first time she was entering the shrine. “My mother used to tell me that earlier we were allowed to enter the doors were not shut to us, but since I came here as a child, we have never been inside. It feels different,” she said.

Most women were happy but some expressed displeasure at the fact that they still couldn’t touch the shrine. “Why is there such a segregation? They have now shut access to men too but the men have been allowed to touch the peer’s shrine for many years. But now, even though the rules have changed, they are still unequal,” said Ms Saleema, a resident of Grant Road. She added that she did not have a problem with the separate entry points for women as it would be “safe for women” during crowded hours.

Members of the BMMA too raised the same point, but said that they were happy with the little victory that they had achieved. “We will sit down with our national team and discuss the issue of not being allowed to touch the shrine. But for now, we are glad that they opened the doors for women. It is a victory for all women,” said Ms Soman.

The court’s directive:

The Bombay high court on August 26 held that the ban imposed by the trust, prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah, contravened Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution, and directed that women should be permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum like men. This was challenged by the Haji Ali Trust, but on October 24 the trust informed the Supreme Court that it was okay with allowing women inside the dargah following a Bombay high court's orders on the same. It said that it needed time to make infrastructural changes to the dargah to follow the order.