By RINA,
New Delhi : An analytic survey conducted by Ms. Qutub Jehan Kidwai of Mumbai-based institution ‘Islamic Studies’ reveals that in ninety-five per cent of cases decided at Shara’yee Panchayats go against Muslim women.
Her survey on ‘Islamic Rights of Women’ mainly targets religious institutions and intellectuals in Uttar Pradesh.
“The debacle follows from the fact that Muslim women, including educated ones, are unaware of their Islamic and constitutional rights” said Ms. Kidwai adding “This distressing because even Shara’yee Panchayats are unable to safeguard their rights.”
Her survey covers eighteen aspects including Nikah, Mehr, Khul’a and inheritance.
Ms. Kidwai has so far contacted leading Ulema in Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Saharanpur and Deoband besides intellectuals and social activists like advocate Anwar Ali, director of ‘Institute of Muslim Law’ and president of ‘Parcham’ Qudsiya Begam.
She also contacted representatives of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
Ms. Kidwai’s co-researcher from Center for Study of Society and Secularism, Nandini Chawan confessed, “Islam has offered so many rights to women fourteen centuries ago for which we, Hindu women, had to struggle for centuries.”
She expressed concern over extremists and separatists drive to mislead women, “On one side, organizations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad are preaching communalism, organizations like Dukhtaran-e-Millat are dragging them towards religious partisan mentality” she said.