DARGAH-REAX 2 LAST

"The Sufi saints too were given birth by women, then why "The Sufi saints too were given birth by women, then whywe are being barred (from entering into the inner area of thedargah). Had the court not decided in our favour, we wouldhave approached the Supreme Court. But we are very happy todaythat the court came to our rescue. I am thankful to ouradvocates, Raju Moray sir, and the entire media," she said. The demand for equal access to the Haji Ali Dargah wasfirst raised by BMMA, which had filed a public interestlitigation in the Bombay High Court in August 2014 against the"blatant discrimination on the ground of gender alone". The Dargah Trust had defended its stand, saying that itis referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity tothe dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin. Men haveunhindered access to the actual burial place of the saint, andare also allowed to touch the tomb. Earlier this year, women managed to break the gender biasand gained full access to Shani Shingnapur temple inAhmednagar district of Maharashtra. The fight to allow women into the shrine, built on anislet, 500 metres from the coast, intensified following apetition in the Supreme Court demanding entry for women to thefamous Sabarimala temple in Kerala. PTI DK ARS DKSMN