Haji Ali ruling restores liberal reputation of Sufi shrines

MUMBAI: Sufi shrines have traditionally been liberal spaces, known for their all-embracing philosophy. Friday's historic verdict lifting the ban on women's entry into the Haji Ali Dargah's sanctum sanctorum restored the shrine's famed inclusivism.

In one stroke, the HC order also dispelled notions that Islam discriminates against women and fuelled a debate within the community on whether the clergy was denying women what religion gave them. "Sunnis who visit Sufi shrines were seen to be practising gender discrimination when they stopped women from visiting Haji Ali Dargah. This verdict will help change this perception," a senior cleric in the city who follows the Deobandi school of thought said.

"The verdict removes the misunderstanding that Islam considers women inferior to men," said noted Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali.

Historically, men and women prayed together at the inception of Islam. When the faith was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, he ended several tribal practices, including deep hatred for the female gender. Allowing women equal space in places of worship was a strong way to empower them. "During the Prophet's time, men and women prayed in the mosques together. Women would stand behind men not because they were considered inferior but because they carried children who cried and had to be taken home hastily," explained Ali, who has written extensively on women's position in Islam. It was much after the Prophet's death that men and women started to be segregated at places of worship.