Women activists welcome HC verdict on Haji Ali Dargah

Pune, Aug 26 (PTI) Elated after the Bombay High Courtverdict allowing women’s entry into the sanctum sanctorum ofthe Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, members of city-based BhumataRanragini Brigade led by Trupti Desai, who has beenspearheading the fight for gender equality in all places ofworship, have decided to visit the shrine this weekend. "We welcome the decision of the High Court. It is a tightslap on the faces of those who put a ban on women’s entry intothe Dargah. It’s a big victory of women power," said Desaicelebrating the verdict with her group outside her officehere. "This is a landmark decision. The right that women areentitled to get, the right that has been given to women in theConstitution, that were somewhere taken away from us. The banwas on entry of women in the ‘mazar’ (area) of the Haji Alidargah. "We have been fighting against the secondary status givento women…patriarch mentality, this ‘dadagiri'(high-handedness) attitude of the (shrine) Trust that ‘we willnot allow women’…This (the verdict) is a victory of movementof Bhumata Ranragini brigade," she added. The women group led by Desai will visit the shrine in theheart of Mumbai on August 28. "Though the high court has stayed its order for six weeksfollowing a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants tochallenge it in the Supreme Court, we will go on August 28till the point where women are allowed and will seekblessings," she told reporters here. Desai had led a high-profile campaign in April this yearto break the bar on women at the core area of the Dargah, butwas stopped short of entering the shrine at the last minuteamid resistance by activists of outfits opposed to the move.However, in May she offered prayers at the Dargah but skippedventuring into the inner chamber of the shrine where womenwere not allowed. The womens rights activist, whose previous campaigns werecentred around Hindu temples, had then maintained that heragitation for right to equality for women at places of worshipis not linked to any religion. Bibi Khatoon, another social activist and member of theBharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) – a Muslim women’srights group, which had fought the ban, too rejoiced theverdict and said, "Firstly, I would like to thank the HighCourt judge, Kanade Sir. All these women who have beenfighting for this right for sometime now had taken a back seatfearing what society will say…but then let the society saywhat they want to…but what we want do, we will do." (MORE)PTI SPK ARS DKSMN