Islam doesn't allow women to visit graves, Haji Ali Dargah is one of them: Chairman

“In Islam, women can't visit graveyards, this (inner sanctum) is also a grave, how can they go? Dargah chairman asked.

New Delhi: Chairman of Haji Ali Dargah Abdul Sattar Merchant on Sunday repeated his stand on the women's entry into the 14th century shrine and said that Islam forbids women to visit graves.

“In Islam, women can't visit graveyards, this (inner sanctum) is also a grave, how can they go? He asked.

His reactions comes after women activist Trupti Desai and her associates entered the Dargah on Sunday after the Bombay High Court in a historic verdict allowed entry of women in the inner sanctum of the shrine.

“I am really happy that no one objected us from entering the Dargah; so many Muslim women supported us,” she said.

"I request the trustees to respect the Bombay High Court order. Even if they go to the Supreme Court, we will win. Women should be treated equally," the Bhumata Brigade activist said.

"Our protest is not against any religion. Our next stop will be Sabrimala temple in Kerala," she added.

The shrine contains the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

For the upkeep of the tomb, a public trust in the name of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust was registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950.

The trust also has many other functions.

According to wikipedia, the Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of Bukhari, a wealthy Muslim merchant who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca.