WUNRN
India:
Muslim Women - Stories of Challenges, Faith & Hope
By Shobha S.V.
New Delhi (Women's Feature Service) - At the recent National Convention of
Muslim Women organised by the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA)
in New Delhi, over 800 women from different walks of life came together to share
detailed testimonies of neglect and discrimination, caused by the government
and so-called custodians of culture and religion. K.S. Saleeka, the only Muslim
MLA from Kerala, who fulfilled her political ambitions despite family
opposition; Orissa's Nazama Bibi, who challenged religious diktat to remain
married to her husband; and Gujarat riot victim, Shakeela Begum, who has been
trying for six years to file an FIR against the police are just some of the
inspiring women who took part in the convention.
The 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj paved the way for K.S.
Saleeka's political career. Currently, she is the only female Muslim Member of
the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Kerala. Saleeka, 46, has an unassuming
demeanour for an MLA, but she exudes confidence and she talks passionately
about women's rights and Muslim women's issues.
Her introduction to politics came only after her marriage. "My husband was
a party worker of Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M]. Our house was
constantly visited by party workers and the atmosphere was always conducive to
politics," she says.
Saleeka plunged into formal electoral politics when the seat of president in a
block panchayat (village council) in Palakkad district was reserved for women
and she won it. She was block panchayat president from 1995 to 2000. Later, she
also served as a member of the zilla panchayat (local governmental body for the
district) of Palakkad from 2000 to 2005.
Commenting on the status of Muslim women in Kerala, she says, "To be a
Muslim woman in Kerala is not as difficult as it is in some other states. Here
Muslim women have a very high literacy rate, unlike in other states."
Saleeka was content with being a member of the zilla parishad, but her husband's
death changed things dramatically. "For a Muslim widow, things are never
easy. My family members opposed my move to participate in the Kerala assembly
elections. However, my children supported me to the hilt and that gave me a lot
of confidence."
Saleeka is now a MLA from the Sreekrishnapuram constituency, which has a
predominantly Hindu population. "My seat was not reserved for women. I won
from a general seat," she says with pride.
While Saleeka managed to come into her own with the support of her community
and loved ones, Nazma Bibi, also a participant at the AIDWA meet, wasn't so
fortunate. Today, Nazma, who is in her early thirties, lives under constant
threat from the people of her Orissa village. All she wanted was to live
peacefully with her husband, but that was not to be.
'Jab miyaan-biwi raazi, toh kya karega qazi?' (When husband and wife are in
agreement, what can the priest do?) goes a popular adage. But Nazma's case
turns this wisdom on its head. In fact, she and her husband have spent around
seven years fighting with local religious heads for a right that would appear
obvious - the right to live as a married couple under the same roof.
A resident of Bhadra district in Orissa, Nazma's husband uttered the dreaded
three words of 'talaq' in a drunken fit in 2000 and forgot all about it the
next day. However, the neighbours, who had overheard him, did not. Soon the
religious heads and 'panchayat' members ruled that Nazma should not live with
her husband until she had committed 'Halala'. According to this practice, if a
divorced woman wants to live with her former husband again, she would have to
marry another man, live with him for at least a day, and then only after the
second husband divorces her can she re-marry her first husband.
However, Nazma was not prepared to do this. "Why should I? I don't want to
live with any other man but my husband," she said. Nazma went through the
extreme ordeal of challenging the diktats of religious leaders. "My
electricity and water connections were cut, my children were thrown out of
their school, and nobody spoke to us."
Buckling under the pressure of the religious leaders, even her in-laws
boycotted her. However, with the help of some local women's activists, Nazma
knocked on the doors of the State Women's Commission, the family court and the
Supreme Court (SC), until she finally got justice.
But, despite the SC ruling, things have not got back to normal. In fact, some
of the villagers have even threatened to kill her. "I am glad my family
and I are together now. We - my husband, three children and myself - go to the
village without any problem. But we stay with my parents, not his. But I'm sure
that one day I will be able to meet my in-laws." Hope springs eternal for
Nazma.
And it's only hope that has given Ahmedabad resident and riot victim, Shakeela
Begum, who is in her early forties, the strength to keep trying to file an FIR
against the police for harassment during the 2002 Gujarat riots. It has been
six long years and she is still waiting. Shakeela now thinks that only divine
intervention can help her.
She alleges the police beat her and her nine-year-old son during that terrible
period. Her son was thrashed so badly that today he is permanently disabled and
mentally unstable.
Says this resident of Ramol, Ahmedabad, "The police just descended without
provocation and went on a beating spree. But I have not been able to file a
police complaint - they just don't allow us to do so." All the while as
she narrates her tragic tale, Shakeela's face remains passive. But when asked
if she feels bitter towards the system, she breaks down just thinking of the
Herculean task of seeking justice. "How many people can I blame?" she
asks rhetorically.
She now lives in fear in a city, which has been her home for the last 20 years.
"We are perpetually worried and scared. We feel someone will come and
attack us at any time."
Shakeela is not in a position to work as she too sustained injuries during the
riots and so now spends all her time taking care of her ailing son. Her husband
and two other sons, who were in school during the riots but had to drop out
because of financial problems, work as labourers. The family lives by their
meagre incomes. She has already spent Rs 900,000 (US$1=Rs 42.7) on her son's
treatment and is in need of more funds.
"I thought coming and sharing my experience in a convention as large as
this will help my case," she says.
Shakeela, as do so many other women, lives on sheer faith and hope.
Courtesy: Women's Feature Service
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