By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) and Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) have conducted a three-day seminar cum workshop on ‘Right of Women in Qur’an-Theory and Practice’ at Sarvodaya Building, St. Pius College Goregaon East in Mumbai to equip women with adequate knowledge and skills to do their work more effectively and efficiently in their respective fields.
‘The aim of the programme is the ’empowerment of women’ by creating among them awareness about their rights in Islam and persuading them to assert for their rights,’ Miss Kutub Jahan Kidwai, the executive director of CSSS told TwoCircles.net.
Kutub Jahan
The seminar was organized from February 2 to till February 4, 2009. It has attracted many social activists, teachers, professors and students from different states of the country namely Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra etc. The participants who are nearly 30 in number consist of two males too.
In the seminar the subjects like Islam & Its Origin & Development, Position of Women before Islam, Concept Of Woman In Islam, Women’s Right To Freedom Of Speech In Islam, Supreme Court Judgments In Favor Of Muslim Women and Personal Reforms & Codification Of Law In India (Panel Discussion etc., are being spoken on by prominent speakers such as Dr Asghar Ali Engineer and Maulana Shoaib Koti.
Maulana Shoaib Koti addressing participants
Mrs. Rahmatunnisha of Chhattisgarh, one of the participants of the seminar told TwoCircles.net, ‘I have come here to increase my knowledge about women’s rights in Islam. I will convey whatever I get here to other females of Chhattisgarh. I try to attend every programme and persuade others to do so. The program is a good platform where we can interact to women of various states and thus understand them.’ Rahmatunnisha is the president of a state-level NGO Sahar Women Welfare Society that imparts free beauty parlor training and free education to women especially widows, divorced and aged unmarried to establish them economically.
One of the male participants told TwoCircles.net requesting anonymity that he has attended to know the rights of women so that he can give them their due rights. ‘Once men come to know the rights of women they will surely give the rights of females,’ he says confidently.
Rahmatun Nisha
Among the attendees there are some Non-Muslims too. They want to know about Islam and convey the same to Muslim women in their areas who are uneducated.
Punam Devi who works for women health and sanity and creating awareness among them under the banner of Mahila Baljyoti Kendra in Patna Bihar, says that she has traveled from Bihar to Mumbai only to attend the seminar; because she is interested to know about women’s right in Islam. ‘I knew through the speeches many things about women rights described in the Qur’an. Many unschooled Muslim females are my colleagues. I will tell them what I have learnt here,’ Punam told TCN.
The president of Mahila Vikas Kendra, Kiran Kumari said, ‘In the program we women from different states got an opportunity to be introduced to each other. I knew women’s rights in Islam very clearly which earlier I did not.’ Kumari who works for removing child labor, protections of environment and creating awareness about AIDS says that she will also propagate what she learnt to others.
Established in 1993, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism works for ‘communal harmony, welfare of minorities and in general for humanity. Institute of Islamic Studies is run under the organization and it focuses on Muslim women’s rights and peace, told Kidwai.
IIS was established for creating awareness about Muslims women’s rights. Miss Kidwai says that seeing that Muslims both social and religious activists are not giving due importance to women’s rights I and Asghar Ali Engineer thought of establishing an organization that will include women activists, lawyers and teachers etc. and will work for women empowerment, thereby causing the establishment of IIS.
‘Muslim women are facing three main problems; oral triple Talaq, polygamy and maintenance during marriage and after divorce. We focus these problems. We also fight for rights of Muslim women with the help of the Qur’an.’
IIS with collaboration of Centre for Study of Society and Secularism holds seminar twice a year; in June and December. ‘This time the programme had to be postponed till February due to some problems,’ Kidwai told TCN.
Link:
http://www.csss-isla.com