26 August 2016

Haji Ali: India court says women can enter Mumbai shrine

A court in India has overturned a ban on women entering the inner sanctum of Mumbai's Haji Ali mosque.

The high court in Mumbai said the ban "violated the constitution" and was discriminatory to women, lawyers said.

The ban was imposed in 2012 when the trust that runs the Sufi shrine said it was a "sin" to allow women to touch the tombs of male saints.

In recent months, India has seen a number of campaigns to allow women into religious shrines that bar their entry.

Although women were allowed into the compound and other parts of the Haji Ali mosque, the 2012 ban barred them from entering the inner sanctum which housed the tomb of a Sufi saint.

Many Islamic mosques belonging to the Shia and Sunni sects, also allow women, though many keep them in clearly demarcated areas. [BBC] Read more