Rupee News

Nigar Ataulla, Bangalore 

The Dangerous Triangle

Think of a Muslim woman, and the things that pop up in the minds of Muslims and non-Muslims are triple talaq, polygamy and the veil. The “dangerous triangle”.  Is that all a Muslim woman is known for? Does not a Muslim woman have her own identity, her own individuality as a human being?

By Nigar Ataulla

Over four years ago, I was invited to an inter-faith dialogue programme in Bangalore organised by a Christian human rights Group. Speakers from different religious communities like Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism were on the panel and they were to talk about the concept of social justice in their own religious traditions.

After my  brief talk on the concept of Justice in Islam, I was  handed over a basketful of questions, some of which, predictably, read like this… Why cannot a Muslim have four husbands? Why aren’t Muslim men required to wear veils? Does not a Muslim woman feel suppressed in a burkha? How can a man declare triple talaq? And, curiously enough: why did Jemima Khan marry Imran Khan?

Think of a Muslim woman and the things that pop up in the minds of Muslims and non-Muslims are triple talaq, polygamy and the veil. Is that all a Muslim woman is known for? Does not a Muslim woman have her own identity, her own individuality as a human being? Why cannot society look upon a Muslim woman as just another a human being, like everybody else, and not a marked out, exoticised or specially branded creature?

In the Indian context, when one talks of the status of Muslim women, the focus invariably falls on triple talaq, polygamy and hijab. I choose to call this the “dangerous triangle”.

Last month, the Mumbai-based Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) and the Institute of Islamic Studies organised a training programme on “ Rights of Muslim Women in the Quran—Theory and Practice”. Over 50 participants from various states across India came together to share their experiences, views and thoughts. While the majority were women activists (Muslims as well as others), there were a few male activists too. Most of the activists at the training programme  worked at the grassroots level, in slums and villages.

The key presenter at the workshop was the noted writer, Islamic scholar and social activist, Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, who is also the chairperson of the CSSS. His discussion focused on the position of women before Islam, the concept of women in the Quran and evolution of Islamic jurisprudence. He stressed that women should read the Quran from a feminist point of view. “The Quran has innumerable verses in favour of  women. But men sometimes misinterpret  verses related to polygamy and hijab to suit their whims and fancies,” he said.

Maulana Mohammad Shoaib Koti, a well-known Islamic scholar based in Mumbai, talked about the freedom of expression for women in Islam. He recalled how Muslim women during the days of the Prophet asked questions directly to him without any male intervention. He also referred to the high status enjoyed by women scholars of Hadith and Quran during those days.

Qutub Jehan Kidwai, convenor of the Institute of Islamic Studies, shared her observations of Muslim Personal Law reforms in Muslim countries. Mehmood Hasan, film maker from Bangladesh presented an engaging (and disturbing) documentary film on the practice of arbitrary triple talaq. The story, woven around a Bangladeshi family, ends on a positive note proclaiming that triple talaq has no sanction in Islam. Noted advocate  from Mumbai, Nilofer Akhtar elaborated on Supreme Court judgments in favour of Muslim women. She lamented the fact that Muslims were not aware of many laws relating to maintenance after divorce. Mufti Inamullah Khan, a scholar and activist, supported the call for codification of Muslim Personal Law in India.

In her presentation, Naish Hasan, founder of the Lucknow-based Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, spoke about her experiences of working with Muslim women in different parts of the country. Women in rural areas were most victimized through violation of their rights and also domestic violence. “With no access to education, most rural Muslim women have no idea about either the courts and the laws and even what the Quran says about women’s rights. The need of the hour is to take up these cases and help women get their due rights. They become easy victims  and run from pillar to post when men desert them, dump triple talaq on them and irresponsibly use polygamy as their birthright,” she said.

While activism against these violations is gaining momentum, there is still a long way to go. Educational and economic empowerment of Muslim women are important factors to be taken into consideration while talking about women’s rights. A woman who is economically independent acquires tremendous self-confidence. Of course, Islam bestows the duty on the man to take care of his wife, mother, daughter and sister. But this does not mean that a woman should become totally dependent on the man economically. A married woman who is educated has to pay attention to the needs of her home, husband and children first. But why cannot she use her knowledge towards a purpose that is not only positive, but also will make her economically self-reliant?

When discussing women’s rights, there is sometimes the underlying agenda of “bashing men and snatching our rights”. I somehow find this unnerving, making uncomfortable me uncomfortable in the circle of firebrand Muslim feminists.. My question is: Why should a woman beg for her rights? When  Almighty Allah has bestowed rights on women, why cannot men give those rights gracefully to women?

I posed a question to a mufti on the panel in the programme, as to why there is a huge communication gap between the Ulema and Muslim women. Why do women still hesitate to speak to the ulema? His answer was that even ulema are also not too comfortable talking to women. But history is witness to the fact that Muslim women spoke to the Prophet (pbuh)  directly. Not convinced with the answer, I set upon the task of exploring this issue on my own. I got this opportunity the same day!

I had an appointment to meet an editor of an Ulema-run English magazine in Mumbai that focuses mainly on Muslim social issues. I had  butterflies in my stomach to begin with, and was apprehensive about how I would be received them  I had always felt that the ulema are scholars of Quran and Hadith and I just an ordinary soul.  I have always felt that my Deccani Urdu was no match to their chaste language.  I visualized them laughing at  my aatu-jaatu (come and go)  as they suavely muttered aayiye jayiye! Yet, I picked up courage and walked alone through the  rain-washed lanes  of Mumbai to meet them.

I must confess that my fears were dissolved after  a meaningful dialogue with the ulema team of the magazine. Their courtesy and hospitality overwhelmed me. The fact that they sat on the same dastarkhan and had lunch with me was by itself a path-breaking event.  They told me to offer the zuhr prayers in their office, showed me around their office and explained about their academic activities. I realized the need to make conscious takes efforts to bridge the gap between the ulema and Muslim women by engaging in mutual dialogue and interaction.

Workshops, seminars activism about Muslim women’s rights are indeed required, but again the question goes back to the basics… issues such as family background, access to education, economic condition and the ambience in which the girl is brought up as a child, the values and confidence instilled by the elders in her..

I pen these thoughts mid air aboard a flight as the air-hostess warns me to fasten my seat belt. I asked myself a realistic question: How many Muslim women are as fortunate as me lucky to have a father and a husband who have let me grow as a human being? They let me fly alone– not just on an airplane but also with my dreams! I wish every woman could gets this right to grow as a human being as I got. Will men give the right to them or will they have to snatch it from them? I pray and hope it is the former!

Filed under: Current Affairs, India CA | Tagged: India, Women