'When I read the Tamil translation of the Quran, I discovered that all these practices had no sanction at all in the Quran. I increasingly came to realise the magnitude of the problems faced by many Muslim women, the need to address these, and also the fact that many Muslim men were wrongly interpreting Islam in a very patriarchal manner to justify the subordination and oppression of Muslim women,' says Daud Sharifa Khanum
The SC is dealing with legal and constitutional issues relating to discrimination against women in various religions and at religious places including Kerala's Sabarimala Temple.
'For the women of a community whose seclusion has been a byword of their lifestyle to take to the streets as a means of protest is an unprecedented event,' notes Amulya Ganguli.
Directing officials to prepare a plan for taking views of Muslim women, the CM asked minister of the department and all women ministers in his cabinet 'to talk to women organisations'.
"Implementation of the Sachar report must take women's issues into notice," NCM Chaiman Hamid Ansari said.
The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board has, in its opposition to the move, submitted an affidavit to the apex court stating that though triple talaq is "undesirable", it is "permissible" in Islam.
'Male domination is not coming down but women have started standing up and questioning the authority of men.' 'I was attacked in such a crude manner only because I am a woman. Had this been written by a man, he would not have been attacked like this.' 'If at all the fascists are using this as a stick to attack Islam, it is not because of my post but because of the intolerance of those who abused me in foul language.' V P Rajeena, who created an online stir by claiming that a madrassa teacher had sexually abused her, says what she wrote on her Facebook page is just a sample, more will follow.
Zakia Nizami Soman, one of the founder members of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, speaks of her organisation and and reflects on the daunting challenges facing Muslim women in India today.
The Chinese military has began recruiting Uygur Muslim women for its navy in what appears to be first such experiment to open up its ranks for minorities, especially from volatile Xinjiang province where Islamic militants are fighting a separatist movement.
She said, 'women covering their heads, women dressing modestly, I have no problem with at all. I think, however, that if you get to a stage where a woman is not able to express her personality because you cannot see her face, then you do start to have to ask whether this is something that is actually acknowledging the woman's right to be a person in her own right.'
'It would be reasonable to assume that Modi 3.0 would be more focused on projects and schemes which do not require any legislative change or which have the support of its coalition partners,' asserts A K Bhattacharya.
'I received many threatening calls and letters.' 'A fatwa was issued against me.'
Days after a leading Islamic seminary declared that the practice of women working in offices in proximity with men was un-Islamic, another seminary has issued a fatwa stating that Muslim women can work in offices, but with a veil on. Mufti of Darul Iftah of Bareilvi Sharif Mohd Ayyub Alem Rizvi has issued the fatwa that Muslim women can work in professional institutions after wearing the veil but with some conditions. However, the conditions were not known.
Activists of the Muslim Mahila Andolan, who converged from different parts of the state in Lucknow on Sunday, also demanded "immediate ban" on the malpractice of divorce by sheer tripe utterance of the word 'Talaaq' on which a debate is already been going on in certain parts of the country.
The apex court had on March 30 observed that practices of 'triple talaq', 'nikah halala' and polygamy among Muslims were important issues involving "sentiments" and a Constitution bench would hear the pleas challenging these from May 11.
Many persons were up in arms following a fatwa by the Dar ul-Uloom Deoband, which many believed prevented Muslim women from working. The members of the seminary who issued the fatwa say that it has been misinterpreted and it was aimed at offering protection to working women from the Muslim community.
Justice S N Srivastava held that the Hindu law provides for alimony in such cases and Muslim women are also entitled to it under the Constitution.
The matter came up for hearing on Friday before a vacation bench of justices Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti, which allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea.
A 26-year-old woman in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district has claimed her husband gave her 'triple talaq' after being angry with her for supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party, among other reasons, police said.
He pointed out that such a restriction is not prevalent in many Islamic countries.
If the newly-formed All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board would have its way, a Muslim would be entitled to seek divorce if her husband was found ton be having illicit relationship with another women. Divorce could also be sought by a Muslim woman if the husband forces the wife to indulge in unnatural sex. She could also seek 'talaq' (divorce) if the husband contracts AIDS. The new nikahnama adds that a husband is expected to provide 'cooked food' and 'stitched food'.
Ex-VHP president Pravin Togadia said that the Centre has reneged on its promises.
Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan on Thursday generated another controversy when he suggested to 2 senior Muslim Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to marry Muslim women.
"Both the women have claimed themselves to be adults on the basis of official documents and married youths of other community on their own accord. These incidents have nothing to do with love jihad," Bareilly's Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajvan said on Saturday.
The bill to amend the law governing Waqf boards proposes far-reaching changes in the Wakf Act, 1995, including ensuring the representation of Muslim women and non-Muslims in such bodies.
'Episodes of targeted attacks on Muslims established that for a section of people and, sadly, even officials of the State, the election results conveyed no lessons.' 'Opposition parties must not be hesitant in speaking out whenever the mob with tacit State support targets Muslims,' asserts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times.
Crucial reforms in Muslim personal law, especially laws related to inheritance and adoption, need to be initiated forthwith; historically speaking, without the State's backing, hardly has any reform taken place or allowed to prevail, asserts Mohammad Sajjad.
The minister said she had asked protection officers and NGO activists to think twice while they try to implement laws under the Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act for Muslim women.
After a meeting of its working committee in New Delhi, the board adopted a resolution which stated that the recent judgment of the Supreme Court on the maintenance of Muslim divorcee women is "against the Islamic law (Shariah)".
'Obedience, service and an over-glorified stress on keeping the family's honour intact keep Muslim women from focusing on their own happiness. So they stay joyless and 'pious,' with an ever-present hint of bitterness for the fun-loving women,' says Zoia Tariq.
If you are a Muslim woman, we would especially like to hear your views on the issue.
Shops in Varanasi's Muslim-dominated areas remained closed and the police sounded an alert in the entire district ahead of the Friday namaaz, following the district court order to allow Hindu prayers in a cellar of the Gyanvapi mosque.
The 24-year-old wore a hijab -- a scarf which covers the hair and neck -- along with leggings and long sleeves, but still outpaced her more scantily-clad rivals to win gold for Bahrain.
"Just like if any Hindu commits female foeticide he will have to go to jail, similarly what is the crime of my Muslim sisters that some one says talaq over phone and her life is destroyed," he said
'When our daughters, wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Vignesh Phogat, were protesting at the Jantar Mantar, the police kicked them with their shoes.'
He said there should be no politics on the issue as it relates to the rights of Muslim women.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com does a deep dive into four elections when Narendra Modi resorted to anti-Muslim fervour and points out that Hindu-Muslim politics does not necessarily mean victory for the BJP.
In a statement, the Population Foundation of India said it is deeply concerned about recent media reports "misreporting" the findings from the study to spread alarm regarding the growth of the Muslim population in the country.
How does it matter for people whether the Aligarh Muslim University is a minority institution or not when it has continued to be an institute of national importance without the minority tag, the Supreme Court said on Thursday as it underlined that the intent of Article 30 of the Constitution is not to "ghettoise the minority".
The women said they were physically and verbally assaulted by another woman who hurled anti-Islamic insults at them. They also claimed that the Chicago police were not taking the incident seriously.
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