Some of you must be thinking that why I am getting into such issues? For me, no issue is trivial, and no phenomenon in the world not so important. There are scientific reasons behind each and every natural phenomenon. Also, there is sound logic behind each and every social and religious custom/practice. It doesn't matter how much we know, but it does matter whether we want to know or not. There is no harm in debates, until they are based on facts and are reasonable.
One important issue at present is whether the individual places of worship, especially in Hinduism, have right to refuse entry to non-believers or women. There are religions like Sikhism which allow all, irrespective of religion or affiliations, to come and offer prayers. But there are some particular places of worships in all major religions, which don't allow a certain set of people to enter their sacred places of worship.
Please consider these cases. I have references for each, and you can be assured of their authenticity.
Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter Mecca or Madinah in Saudi Arabia.
At St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Rochester, New York, women are not allowed to be a priest or deacon and are not allowed to enter the altar during services.
Non-Mormons are not allowed inside the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
The Church of St. Mary‘s, Zion is said to house the Ark Of The Covenant, and Women are not allowed to enter.
Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter mosques in Zanzibar, East Africa.
In Vatican City, there is a dress code for men and women, without which no one is allowed inside the churches.
Therefore we can see that such discriminating practices are present all over the world. In India, we have seen much hue and cry over the issue of non-entry of women in Sabarimala Temple and non-entry of non-Hindus at Guruvayur Temple, both in the state of Kerala.
An egalitarian will always say that entry should be given to all who are willing to offer prayers inside a temple. But there are complexities involving tradition and customs, based on some particular reasoning, which make such a decision difficult to implement.
See some more references from across the world:
1. Article Title: Black Mormons struggle for acceptance in church
2. Article Excerpt:
Different churches, even within the same denomination, will use very different styles of worship. Some will be elaborate, with a choir singing difficult music, others will hand the music over to the congregation, who sing simpler hymns or worship songs.
3. News title: Christian arrested for visiting Mecca
4. Information Excerpt:
According to Mormon doctrine, you cannot set foot inside a temple unless you are a member of the Church. Non-Mormons cannot enter Mormon temples. That’s just the rule.
Conclusion:
As the BBC writes, different churches or temples, even within the same denomination, use very different styles of worship. The styles of worship and the customs followed are based on some religious beliefs and at many places considered too sacred to interfere with.
As pointed by some of my friends, there are many important issues in our country which need the government's attention. I have always felt that the government interventions should happen only in the cases where the human rights of citizens are affected. It should act promptly against any act of racial discrimination, but to go after each and every temple in streamlining their customs, is too just much.
Through my search, I came to understand that several places of worship all across the globe, in all major religions, don't allow a certain set of people entry to some part of the temples or the whole. In India, the issue has been dilated because politics here is often mingled with the religion. Almost all political parties are against or for some particular religious affiliations. We should not count the issue of entry to non-believers as racism, but should discount them as exceptions, with their customs having limited applicable scope.
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