After 6 months: Deoband seminary lifts ban on women visitors, imposes conditions

The seminary’s spokesperson Ashraf Usmani on Saturday said the ban on entry of women and girls has been lifted but they have to follow some rules to ensure their entry into the seminary premises.

The prominent Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has resumed conditional entry of women, albeit in purdah (veil), into its premises six months after imposing a ban on them on the ground that women uploaded reels of their visit on social media, which brought disrepute to the institution.

Details of visitor’s name, mobile phone number, address, number of visiting members (male, female) will have to be entered into a register. (FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE)

The seminary’s spokesperson Ashraf Usmani on Saturday said the ban on entry of women and girls has been lifted but they have to follow some rules to ensure their entry into the seminary premises.

Usmani said the ban was lifted on Friday. Permission for women to move about in the institution has been given with a visitor pass and other conditions, he said, adding that the rules have been made after long deliberations.

According to these rules, women visitors will now be issued a visitor pass, which will be valid only for two hours. It will be issued after submitting PAN card, Aadhar card or voter ID to the designated office.

Details of visitor’s name, mobile phone number, address, number of visiting members (male, female) will have to be entered into a register.

The Darul Uloom authorities had banned the entry of women into the seminary premises on May 17 this year.

At the time, it was said that women uploaded reels of their visit on social media, bringing disrepute to the seminary. Besides, it affects the studies of students.

The ban had disappointed hundreds of women who visited Deoband for a glimpse of the seminary and the Rashidiya mosque.

The decreasing influx of women visitors also had an adverse effect on the business of shopkeepers around the seminary.