Revolution behind the veil

THE holy month of Ramzan and the festival of Id are over. Like the men, many Muslim women too went on fast in the month preceding the festival. But there was a difference. More women were seen praying inside the mosques - something that till recently was not a common sight. Not that there is any written law preventing women from praying in mosques, but so strong was the power of an unwritten rule that few women ventured out even to pray.

However, of late, women of the community are not only wondering aloud at the discrimination but also taking action to change the situation. At the majestic Jama Masjid in Delhi, for instance, women can now be seen offering namaz (prayer) inside the mosque.

This is but another reflection of a quiet revolution taking place among Muslim women in India against the diktat of their male- dominated community. Three years ago, 18-year-old Sadaf Rizvi broke convention by praying in a mosque in Lucknow on August 15. Emboldened by her step, 150 women turned up the next day to offer prayers.

In Kolkata, Sameena Ikram, who works in a corporate office, says, "The Muslim community is in a state of flux. The forces of orthodoxy are being challenged by a section which had so far been totally silent - the women. We have to stand up for our rights and tell the men that they cannot stop us from offering prayers inside mosques."

According to scholar and reformist, Asghar Ali Engineer, the Koran is not only fair to women, it also gives them all the rights that they are fighting for today. "When a religion is practised in a conservative cultural milieu, it often loses its original thrust. This is what has happened with Islam," he says.

But while this may be the case, Indian Muslim women are still fighting for and demanding a number of things. For instance, The Muslim Women's Council's 19-point charter includes demands like the right to pray in mosques, ending misuse of purdah and a review of mehr (money promised by the groom at the time of the wedding). The charter also wants abolition of the joint family system because the woman loses out on property and other rights.

Women activists have also urged the Muslim Personal Law Board to review the "un-Islamic" practice of a man uttering talaq thrice to get a divorce. They point out that the conservatives have misinterpreted the Holy Book to serve their own purpose. According to Syeda Hameed, founder of the Muslim Women's Forum, talaq is permitted in the Koran only in the case of a complete breakdown of marriage, but the men have interpreted it to condone promiscuity.

Under Islamic law, pronouncing of the first talaq has to be followed by an interval of two months so that both parties can think it over. There has to be a gap before a man pronounces the third and final talaq. "Thanks to the way we practice it, Islam is looked upon by the world as anti-women. It is Muslims who are to be blamed for this. It is time we stopped using religion as an excuse for our misdemeanours," she says.

Engineer also says, "The male ego and local cultural ethos must be held responsible for the plight of Muslim women today."

But the situation is not all bleak, at least when it comes to Muslim women in urban areas. While the most obvious indicator of things changing are women praying inside mosques, there is also a slow and silent revolution at other levels. The All India Muslim Forum, for instance, is asking for a four per cent reservation for Muslim women of the 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament. Should this demand be met, activists in the field can use this "quota within quota" as a means of improving the condition of Muslim women.

At another level, Muslim girls are bringing in a new sense of empowerment through education and more girls are going in for post-graduate and management courses today. This change of attitude has been so startling that Ishaq Jamkhanawala, President of the Anjuman i-Islam, which runs educational institutions, calls it "a new wave". He adds, "Our girls are moving far ahead when compared to the boys." In the medical college run by ty the Anjuman i-Islam, 70 per cent of the students are women.

This changing trend, however, is leading to a different kind of problem. Many girls confess that they cannot find educated grooms to match their qualifications. But these are only minor irritants for the young women aspiring to a career and financial stability.

"If you educate a girl, you educate a family," says Irfan Merchant of Rahat Welfare Trust which provides educational aid to Muslim children. And this may well be something that is coming true today, at least among urban Muslim women.

RANJITA BISWAS

Women's Feature Service

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