Women on the move

1.In 1977, Azra Iqbal was a Class 8 student in Dayanand Model Girls Senior Secondary School, Ansari Road, Delhi. Her brother, Khalid Ashraf, who is now a lecturer in Kirori Mal College, met the principal of her school and requested her to allow his sister to wear a traditional salwar instead of a western-style skirt to school. Recognising that Azra was from a conservative Muslim family, the principal acceded to the request.

Cut to the present. Azra's college-going daughter routinely wears jeans and T-shirts to her classes and her mother has no reservations. The times have obviously changed. Azra's brother, on his part, now often tells his students that the purdah is a big roadblock in the path of progress for the community as a whole and Muslim women in particular. He also emphasises that offering namaz five times a day isn't practical in a modern society.

With attitudes in the throes of rapid evolution, more and more Muslim women are now breaking the mould and getting into fields of endeavour that were male bastions until recently. Dr Farida Khanam, who did not go to school till the age of 15, is now an associate professor in Jamia Millia Islamia and a writer of several books in English. She says: “My life is a message for all youngsters. I never attended an English medium school but did my post-graduation in English from Delhi University.” She considers herself fortunate. “Muslim women today should be thankful to the Almighty that they were born in an era that offers limitless opportunities,” says the academician.

2.In the sporting arena, too, Muslim girls are increasingly making their mark. One such sportswoman is the champion swimmer from Assam, Fariha Zaman. She holds the national record in the 50-meter backstroke event. She asserts that she faced no problems growing up as a girl child. “Everybody liked me and everyone I met helped me in my journey. Nobody raised eyebrows when I wore swimming gear in the pool.”

However, tennis ace Sania Mirza had to face the ire of conservative sections of her community for wearing outfits deemed immodest by the moral police. But she laboured on and is now a household name, thanks to her own perseverance and the concerted efforts of her mentor and journalist-father Imran Mirza. She says: “In my view, it is performance that should ultimately matter. My message to youngsters who want to pursue sporting careers is that they should have complete self-belief.”

3.The story of Pune-based Anisa Syed, who won two gold medals in the last Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, is somewhat different. Her employers, the Indian Railways, did not make life easy for her. She sought a transfer from Mumbai to Delhi when her husband relocated to the national Capital. But her bosses shot down her plea. So, in order to chase her dream, she chucked up her Railways job and shifted to Delhi.

Anisa belongs to a middle-class Muslim family. It was over a decade ago that she decided to take up pistol shooting as sport. "I am grateful to my husband's company, which gave me sponsorship," she says. Interestingly, the Railways were prompt to announce a reward for her after she won her remarkable brace of Commonwealth Games gold medals.

4.Anisa believes it's time for Muslim girls to turn to sports more seriously. “Muslim girls usually have an aversion to sporting careers. It is time for a rethink. There are many disciplines in which girls can excel,” she says.

Off the field of sports, many Muslim women are beginning to change the rules of the game. Shaista Amber, chairperson of All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board, is one such lady. She has set an example by building a mosque and a dharamshala on a patch of land that she purchased by selling her jewellery.

She says: “The foundation of the dharamshala was laid after bhoomi pujan, which was opposed by Muslim clerics. But I asserted that puja contained nothing contrary to Islam. The decision was not easy. My effigies were burnt and people performed my 'last rites'. But every attack launched against me only strengthened my resolve.”

5.It is never easy taking an unpopular stand for a cause. Ask Farhana Shah, prominent criminal lawyer of Mumbai. She fought numerous cases related to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and helped secure justice for many wrongly accused of complicity in the crime. She took up these cases when nobody was ready to come to the aid of these innocent people.

Talking about her career graph, Farhana says: “I did odd jobs before I realised that I wasn't cut out for this. So I decided to study law. A majority of my relatives opposed the decision but many came forward to support me.”

Farhana is all praise for her husband. “It is said that there is a woman behind every successful man. In my case, it has been the reverse. My husband is behind my success,” she says.
6.Another domain in which Muslim girls have made a mark is in the electronic media. TV sports journalist Afshan Anjum is a firm believer that Muslim women can play a crucial role in every walk of life. “Women complete every aspect of life. Without them, the world would be worthless. When I saw all the women achievers around me, I was enthused. I never felt that anything would be impossible,” she says.

Afshan, however, agrees that women do face many challenges. “That is what makes their achievements even more special. In the long run, supporters and friends always outnumber the naysayers,” she adds.

Senior Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai, of course, needs no introduction. She has been in politics for half a century. She joined the hurly-burly of public life at a time when it was a male preserve. “The biggest challenge that women politicians had to face back then was non-cooperation from family members. At times the father-in-law is miffed, at others the husband himself is the stumbling block. Luckily, I faced no such problem,” she says.

Nor did Bihar's social welfare minister Parveen Amanullah. Daughter of Syed Shahabuddin, an IFS officer-turned-MP,  she is no stranger to politics. Parveen is also celebrated for her work as an RTI activist. She says: “My goal was to clean up the system and I took the RTI route.”

“Religion,” she says, “is inside the house. Once you go out of the house, humanity should be your religion.” She believes that the sky is the limit for young Muslim girls. “They should recognise their strength and move ahead,” she adds.

Mebooba Mufti, who was behind the success of PDP in the 2002 J&K elections, blames the overall plight of the community for the general reluctance among Muslim women to enter political arena. She says: “You need to improve the overall conditions of Muslims. Once they become a part of the mainstream, then women from the community will automatically come forward.”

7.One girl who has made Kashmir particularly proud is Owaisa Iqbal. She is the first girl from the Valley to clear the IAS examinations. “It is true that in our society working women have to bear a double burden because they also have to look after the family,” she says. “The purdah system exists among both Muslims and Hindus. It is a state of mind. I feel there is nothing wrong until and unless it is done out of compulsion," she adds.

There is nobody quite like Mumtaz Qazi Kathawala. She is the first Asian woman to drive a diesel and electric train. Sharing her experiences. Mumtaz, who drives Mumbai local trains for a living, says “Among the fifty candidates selected for the training, I was the only woman. Initially, my father was very apprehensive about letting me take up the job. He agreed to let me go ahead only after he received an assurance from the instructor, Bhupender Singh."

When Mumtaz isn't at the controls of a suburban train, she is quite likely to be seen behind the purdah. “It gives me a feeling of security. I do not think that the purdah is a hindrance to progress,” the spunky engine driver asserts. That is the spirit that propels many a successful Muslim woman in today's India: they embrace tradition and modernity with effortless ease as they chase the wide range of opportunities that has opened up in the unfolding economic growth story.

In pics:

1. Sania Mirza,  Tennis Player
2. Parveen Amanullah,  Bihar Minister
3. Afshan Anjum,  Television Anchor
4. Dr Farida Khanam,  Academician
5. Anisa Syed,  Shooter
6. Fariha Zaman,  Swimmer
7. Owaisa Iqbal,  IAS

With inputs by Anuradha Preetam, Monalisa Gogoi, Nadeem Ahmed, Danish Reyaz, Rajan Prakash, Haroon Reshi and Shadab Bashir