PUNE, India, 7 August 2007 — The third national meeting of the Indian Muslim Women Agitation (IMWA) held here on Sunday evening was attended by 50 delegates from 12 states. The meeting called for Muslim women to be recognized as a legitimate political voice and objected to religious Muslims representing the entire community.
Listing grievances, which include violence against Muslim women, human rights and civil rights issues, flouting of laws by the police while dealing with Muslim youth and misconceptions about and stereotypes of the community, Zakia Jowher of Ahmedabad, the founding member of the organization, called on society and political leaders to recognize her organization instead of religious leaders.
“The politicians and the media have designated some people as spokespersons, who then claim to represent all sections of the community. The religious leadership of the Muslim community does not represent Muslim women. Muslim women themselves now want to emerge as the alternative leadership of the community,” Jowher said.
“Poverty, backwardness and the denial of citizenship rights are some of the problems faced by the Muslim community even after 60 years of independence, which demonstrates the failure of the Indian state and also of Muslim leaders, who cannot rise above their vested interests,” she added.
Razia Patel, IMWA chairperson, said that the problems faced by Indian Muslim women are much more than generally perceived. “The society has a stereotypical view of the problems faced by Muslim women, which does not go beyond the veil and divorce. In reality there are many more problems, which need immediate attention and there is a need for supporting a mainstream movement for the Muslim community,” she said.
Representatives of Muslim women from Mumbai said that government-run schools in the city that were meant for children from poor Muslim families were closing down and that Muslims were being left without alternative education. Members from Delhi said problems were arising due to the demolition of slums, as the majority of slum dwellers were Muslims.
Speaking about the plight of Muslim women widowed during the Gujarat riots, representatives from Gujarat said the widows were suffering even now and that Hindu organizations were distributing 500 rupees of aid to about 3,000 widows on condition that the widows worshipped Hindu deities.
