Dargah Haji Ali

A famous leader of Congress, Digvijay Singh is of the view that prohibiting women from visiting graves and dargahs is a Talibani act, which cannot be allowed here in India. This remark of Mr. Singh is on the news, according to which women have been prohibited from visiting the graves in the premises of famous dargah of Peer Haji Ali. The dargah management has taken this decision formally with reference to the Shari’ah which prohibits women from visiting dargahs and graves. There is no restriction on the presence of women in the area outside graves within the premises. The decision was taken a few months ago but it became the point of dispute at the time when some women associated with Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan reached there, and then raised this issue at various levels. This issue proved a ‘delicious dish’ for the media as well. Now many people are expressing their views on the issue, and condemning and opposing the decision of the dargah management committee. The remark of Congress leader Digvijay Singh which he made on Twitter is also part of it. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi of BJP also spoke.

What is this Mahila Andolan?

It was said that this Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan is a campaign to awaken Muslim women about their rights. According to it, “Mullas” and “semi-literate Ulama” have kept Muslim women in backwardness; the latter are victim of outmodedness and illiteracy. In this respect, this Andolan should have strongly supported the decision of Haji Ali Dargah Committee, for women’s visit to dargahs and graves, their seeking favours from them, offering gifts to them – all this amounts to outmodedness and ignorance from Islamic Shari’ah, and thus is a symbol of backwardness. But the Mahila Andolan is working against its very objectives. By supporting the presence of women around graves, they want to keep women from the Deen and Shari’ah. – However the fact is that the Muslim Mahila Andolan should do what it is doing. For this is basically an anti-Shari’ah forum, wants to put the Shari’ah laws upside down, and instigates Muslim women against the Shari’ah. This campaign against the Dargah Committee is being run by anti-Shari’ah forces, and not by Muslim women.

This is not the work of sincere persons

And, as for political leaders like Digvijay Singh, the first thing is that it is not necessary for them to express on every issue; without their speaking the affairs of the country can go on. Then, to declare a good work as something bad and to associate it with the Taliban does not behoove sincere and responsible persons. The Talibans of Afghanistan were good, noble and constructive people; and they are so even now. During their regime, they almost put an end to all bad things like alcoholism, drugs, immorality, trafficking of and trade in girls – the work which proved unbearable for America and its allies. Therefore the latter launched an international campaign to defame the Taliban directly and Islam indirectly. A part of the campaign was also to float fake Taliban groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hence all this incidents of violence and destruction taking place in those regimes are the handiwork of these American Talibans. This propaganda against Taliban is so strong that many Muslims have also fallen prey to it. As for the real issue, Digvijay Singh is a literate person; he should himself study the Shari’ah and see how strong wisdom lies in Islam prohibiting women from visiting dargahs. 

13/ 11/12 khabar-O-Nazar by Parwaaz Rahmani, sehrozaDAWAT, translated by: Abu Yusuf