TCN series on Muslim women empowerment
On International Women’s Day, TCN is bringing great stories of Muslim women empowerment from different states of India — Editor
By Ilyaskhan Pathan, for TCN,
Ahmedabad: Asifa Karamat Ali is a Gold Medalist in Chemistry. Sunder Singh Bhandari, then governor of Gujarat had awarded her with Prof. V.C. Shah Gold Medal in 2002 for scoring the highest marks in M.Sc. in Gujarat University. Later on she has been awarded a Gold Medal by the National Science Committee.
Asifa Karamat Ali
She might also get her third award if gets nominated by Gujarati Muslim Association of America, GMAA, which is going to felicitate Muslim students who won Gold medals or scored highest marks in their respective fields. The program will be held on 18th March in Ahmadabad.
Asifa, a Math and Science teacher in Maktampura Primary School of Ahmadabad has completed M.Phil., B.Ed. while teaching. She wanted to become a doctor after scoring 79 percent in 12th Class but family persuaded her for Primary Teaching Certificate (PTC). However, leaving medical science is not embarrassing for her. Talking to TCN, she said, “Islam gives much importance to education so much so that the first verse of the Quran revealed on Prophet is Iqra means to read. Thus teaching someone is a righteous profession. Alhamdulillah I am proud to be a Teacher.”
Asifa teaching her student in her school
Asifa belongs to a middle class religious family. Her father Karamat Ali is an SSC pass who retired as Controller in Municipal Transport Corporation (MTC), Ahmadabad. Asifa still is single where as her two sisters got married earlier. One of her younger sister, Anjum, 15 died after falling sick. Asifa was emotionally attached to her. She says, “It was the saddest day of my life. When I was in M.Sc. in the year 1999, Anjum died due to sickness.”
Asifa Karamat Ali accepting the gold medal from Sundar Singh Bhandari (Governer Of Gujarat) in 2002
Asifa as a teacher wants to convey this message, “the heart throbbing pictures of Gujarati women stress me very much. The possible way to get rid of this kind of situation is to identify socially educationally and economically deprived groups in the society. Help them pursue best quality education, empower them with professional skills and support them financially. It will lead them to successful entrepreneurship, or self-employment.”