THEY ARE striving to strike the proverbial balance between progress and tradition. For many Muslim women in India, as they keep pace with changing times, it is vital to stay in sync with their roots. And as these ordinary women manoeuvre the transformational road, their quest for a definitive direction is evoking a positive response from certain quarters of the community itself. The hesitation in her voice is palpable, as the timid home maker reluctantly broaches her issue of concern. She’s curious to find out if it is compulsory to offer the Id ul Adha sacrifice, while the family is still debt-ridden. Will it be considered sinful, and socially vilified, if financial constraints make her skip the annual ritual, this time? The answer comes in the negative and an obvious sigh of relief for the woman. “The assurance that clearing a debt is a bigger priority for my family was an eye-opener,” says the soft spoken woman.
This is one of the many instances, where the ladies wing of the Islamic Research Foundation is stepping in to clear the confusion and misconceptions. Dr Nikhat Noumaan Qureshi, spokesperson of IRF, Ladies Wing, Mumbai, feels, “Ignorance and illiteracy are the major hurdles for Muslim women from the lower strata of the society. Ironically, they are unaware of rights and responsibilities Islam as a faith places on them. Rather they are saddled with frivolous social customs which hardly give them any space to evolve,” rues Nikhat. Adding in the same breath, “Keeping this in mind, our organisation specifically aims at raising awareness. Besides the Islamic training programme, IRF offers a gamut of interesting courses for the girls, for instance, the marriage prep course. “It covers issues ranging from selection of spouse, rights and duties of spouses and motherhood. Regular interactions with lawyers are arranged, which make them conscious about their legal rights. Also worth mentioning are the psychiatric sessions on conflict resolution and to understand the psychology of both the genders. Consultation with a gynaecologist and aspects like time management, anger management, effective communication are also covered. With a sound mind, physical attributes too find relevance and grooming experts come handy here,” she informs. “Currently there is a capacity of 60 females, but the course is receiving an overwhelming response and an expansion is on the cards, “ informs Nikhat.
Sometimes social restrictions and age old customs are wrongly camouflaged as religious ethos. Nikhat reasons, “The recently held annual IRF Conference at Mumbai’s Sion ground saw large a scale participation by the Muslim women.” Rukhshi Elias, assistant secretary, All Bengal Muslim Women’s Association, Kol-kata feels, “The transition should happen in a subtle manner instead of opting for a brisk change. In short a pragmatic approach is a plausible option to instrument a difference for the better,” Explaining further she says, “Once we sift the exceptions, the average Muslim girl from a working class family has very limited options that cater to the notion of self reliance. Our organisation imparts vocational training in fashion designing, henna art, grooming, computer training, and spoken English. At the end of the course, while a placement is not guaranteed, we do help them in finding a job.”
But it is not a smooth sail for Muslim girls who want to go the professional way. “The reservation starts at the home itself. Majority of the families, do not place any prohibitions, as far as studying or taking up courses are concerned, but they turn a cold feet, the moment the girls express a desire to pursue a profession. The usual clichés like social stigma, unsafe surrounding and the chances of finding a prospective groom is slim for a career oriented girl come on the surface,” she points out. Rukshi highlights some of the dilemmas that stare at the Muslim society. “Ironically, an educational disparity also exists between Muslim girls and boys. The boys, generally drop out of school since they are expected to be the bread -earner of the household, while the girls are more academically inclined as they do not have the onus of earning a livelihood.
Eventually, due to scant options, many girls reluctantly marry less qualified boys and that can create a fundamental rift in their marital lives.
Noticeably, the issue of using contraception is another point of contention among Muslims.”
Unveiling the mind from prejudices should be the first step forward as Rubina, founder director of SAFA Society, Hyderabad explains, “Poverty is a major obstacle and hence SAFA is working in the urban slums of Hyderabad with Muslim women. The focus is on core issues of livelihood and education. Two of our major initiatives are Magic Carpet: it is skill building and income generation for illiterate and semi literate women. And Neenv: education for children of our women members and girls coming from large family unit.” “The focus is on the vulnerable girl child,” she adds as an afterthought.
photo: Abhijit Mukherjee