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Both the public meetings
were impressive in terms of the crowd they attracted and also for
the message the organisers wanted to send to the government. The
first was organised in Mumbai on April 22 by the All India Muslim
Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which is dominated mostly by the
clerics and people from the Deobandi school of thought, though it
also has clerics from other Muslim sects. The other was organised
on May 11 some 50 kms from Mumbai in Bhiwandi. It was also
organised with the same set of agendas but the organisers were from the Barelvi Muslim sect.
Apart from the agenda of both the rallies, what impressed some
observers were the ‘special care’ the organisers had shown to the
‘Indian Muslim women’ in the advertisements that ran for weeks in
leading Urdu dailies before the actual event. Every advertisement
that appeared in these newspapers had special and prominently
displayed sections that said, “Special seating would be available
for Muslim women who are coming for the rally.”
Interestingly, an insider said, during the All India Muslim
Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) governing body meetings held at Hajj
House that preceded the public meeting, woman members and
delegates shared with the clerics the same meeting hall that too
without any purdah in between.
Now the question is, if the clerics can invite Muslim women to
such public meetings and give them so much liberty that they can
share with them a single meeting hall without any purdah, what
stops them from allowing these women an entrance into the mosque
to offer prayers?
Barring a small exception, clerics in the Indian sub-continent are
perhaps the only lot in the world, who are hell bent against the
women worshippers’ right to offer prayers inside mosques. This
despite clear permission given to them by Prophet Mohammad, peace
be upon him.
Speaking to them on the issue gets a reply that they are against
the women coming to mosques because Prophet Mohammad, peace be
upon him, had also said, it would be better, if women offer
prayers inside their homes. But when it is said that the Prophet,
peace be upon him, had also said that “if they seek permission to
go to mosque, don’t stop them”, instead of surrendering to the
Prophet’s guidelines they try to justify their stand giving
excuses like “fitna” and other such things.
One also finds that invitations to the women are not just limited
to the personal law board public meetings. Ever since some clerics
have joined politics, they are openly encouraging women to attend
their election rallies. It is surprising to note that these
honourable men can’t see any “fitna” if they invite the women to
public rallies. But, there will be problems if they are coming to
mosques. What can be more ironic than this?
Can one dare to ask, if there is no permission in Shariah for
women to offer prayers in mosques, on what basis invitations are
extended to them for public rallies? There is no problem if by
accepting their call the women attend public rallies but there
will be fitna if they obey the Prophet, peace be upon him, and
come to mosques to offer prayers! This is nothing but sheer
rigidness. And rigidness having no Shariah basis is nothing but a
clear attempt to keep one’s own will over and above the intent of
Shariah and the will of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
This is just one example to show how the clerics in India take
decisions based not on the Shariah but on the basis of what suits
their convenience. Otherwise, some of the woman activists I had a
talk with feel that there are clauses in the Indian Muslim
personal law that deny them the rights as given in the Shariah,
and contradict the Shariah and its real motives. These activists
have examples to show how the clerics in India differ with their
counterparts in the Muslim and other countries while giving
solutions and taking stands on various issues especially those
related to women and their rights.
These woman activists, who were also
involved in drafting the proposal submitted to the government that
dealt with the changes they wanted in the Muslim personal law,
alleged that when they tried to meet the clerics to discuss the
clauses in question, far from seriously and sympathetically
addressing their concern, they refused to meet them. This, they
said, despite their clear and unanimous assertion that they want
their concerns to be addressed within the framework of the Shariah
and they didn’t want anything which has no backing of the Islamic
principles.
I often wonder that the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)
has the likes of Syed Rabe Hasani Nadavi and Syed Mohd Wali
Rehmani whose calibre, talent, understanding of the Shariah and
commitment to the Muslims and Shariah are beyond doubt. Yet they
are ignorant to the concerns of the Indian Muslim women who only
want their stamp on the rights given to them in the Islamic
Shariah.
The Muslim personal law board should
realise that by remaining ignorant to the concerns of the Indian
Muslim women just to satisfy the interests of a particular sect,
it will only invite more troubles like the Draft Divorce Bill and
the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill that despite opposition from
the clerics have received the cabinet approval and may also become
a law soon.
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