A group of Muslim women launched a protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Thursday, demanding women be allowed to pray in the Haji Ali Dargah. Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan member Noorjahan Niaz told Times Now, "Who gave [the Haji Ali Trust] the right to stop us?" A petition filed in the Bombay High Court had challenged the decision of the Haji Ali Trust to ban the entry of women in the inner sanctum of the dargah.
The group's demonstration followed protests by members of the Bhumata Ranragini Brigade, demanding women’s entry into Maharashtra’s Shani Shingnapur Temple. A group of 350 women staged a protest on Tuesday after police stopped them from entering the temple that allows only men inside the inner sanctum.
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