Paper short abstract:

Females of the conservative Shia, Iranian-origin population in Hyderabad, India are pleased when the mourning months of Moharram and Safar come and they can go to the Husseiniyyeh to attend women's rituals. Shia, Iranian-origin women visiting from elsewhere apprecaite the ready made community to connect with others. Females appreciate the sense of community with the Holy Ones and other believers.

Paper long abstract:

Females of the conservative, Shia, Iranian-origin population in Hyderabad, India are pleased when the Shiite mourning months of Moharram and Safar come. They have the good religious excuse to spend time away from the household at the Husseiniyyeh meeting hall to mourn for the Shia martyr Hussein; in fact a poem calls Moharram the "women's holiday" (jashn-e zanan). Based on three months of research during Jan. Nov. and Dec. 2012, this paper investigates the meanings of their Husseiniyyeh attendance for Shia females of Iranian origin. Women visiting from elsewhere, such as Mumbai, Pune, Iran and Gulf Arab countries see old friends, make connections and find a ready made community away from home. Females appreciate the sense of community with the Holy Ones and with other believers. Some of the younger females view the Husseiniyyeh as an arena in which to struggle for change in gender and generational hierarchy. They attempt to initiate their own ritual styles, resist the authority of the older women and gain support from like-minded friends for more independence. Apparently this religious community holds more significance for females than for males: far more women attend their upstairs rituals than do men in their space on the main floor.