‘Maulana’ Sajjad Nomani Wants To Put Breaks On Muslim Women Empowerment

Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy April 28, 2023 Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) is shocked by the blatantly anti-women diktat of the spokesman of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, ‘Maulana’ Sajjad Nomani. In a video clip posted on YouTube (https://youtu.be/tyO5E8MgQEQ), the influential cleric with a large following among Muslims across the country can be seen and heard issuing the edict: “Do not send your girls to college unaccompanied, not even with a hijab. This is haram, haram (forbidden, sinful). On this night of holy Ramzan, I send this curse on parents who send their daughters to a coaching centre or college unaccompanied: unless they mend their ways, may Allah condemn them to hell.” Nomani further declared: hijab or burqa is not enough… it is the duty of parents to keep in touch with the college principal and urge her/him to inform them if their daughter bunks any classes. The word ‘Maulana’ means a learned Muslim scholar but the latest fulmination of Nomani reeks of blatant ignorance and misogyny. Where does his dire warning leave his flock of followers? How practical is it for either of the parents to accompany their hijab or burqa-clad daughter to college and back, then to coaching classes and back on an everyday basis? What if they have more than one daughter, pursuing different courses/careers, attending different colleges? And what if both parents are working? Nomani’s imagery and advise are patently feudal; unsuited for Indian Muslims who are overwhelmingly working class. Does it also mean that sending their daughter to a hostel is out of the question? Is this not an indirect way of advising parents to keep their daughters away from higher education? And what about the sons: do as they please? When the Taliban recaptured power in Afghanistan in 2021, Nomani was among the first to rejoice and dash off his congratulations to the mullahs. His blatantly anti-women utterances are proof of his Talibani mindset. By damning those who do not follow his diktat to hell, Nomani is attempting to exert pressure upon and influence his followers to discriminate against women in the community and deprive them of their agency, right to move freely and right to education which are provided under the Indian Constitution. Muslim women are leaders and educators of today, with equal rights and entitlements. Nomani is not only threatening those rights directly by misrepresenting and using the tool of religion, but is misusing his authority to propagate inequality and orthodoxy. The IMSD categorically rejects Nomani’s antediluvian ideas and underlines that they do not represent the opinion of all Indian Muslims. This moral policing of women should stop and the likes of Nomani should be called out by all right-thinking Indians. Many decades ago, it was this very mindset which advised Muslims to keep away from modern education as a result of which Muslims are the most deprived community in India. Today, when Muslim women are coming out in large numbers to access higher education, it should be welcomed and the community should put structures in place to facilitate this process. Instead, we have regressive minds like Nomani who want to put breaks on Muslim women empowerment and re-domesticate them. In particular, we appeal to Muslim organizations to condemn this anti-women statement of Nomani. Signatories: 1. A. J. Jawad, Advocate, Chennai 2. Aftab Khan, Journalist, Nasik 3. Anjum Rajabali, Film Writer, Mumbai 4. Arif Kapadia, IMSD, Business, Activist, Mumbra, Thane 5. Arshad Alam, IMSD, Columnist, New Age Islam, Delhi 6. Aziz Lokhandwala, Businessman, Mumbai 7. Bader Sayeed, Advocate, former MLA, Chennai 8. Bilal Khan, IMSD, Activist, Mumbai 9. Farhan Rahman, Asst. Prof., Ranchi University, Ranchi 10. Feroze Mithiborwala, IMSD, Co-convener, Bharat Bachao Andolan, Mumbai 11. Gauhar Raza, Anhad, Delhi 12. Irfan Engineer, IMSD Co-convener, CSSS, Mumbai 13. Javed Anand, IMSD Convener, CJP, SabrangIndia Online, Mumbai 14. Kasim Sait, Businessman, Philanthropist, Chennai 15. Khadija Farouqui, IMSD, Activist, Delhi 16. Lara Jesani, IMSD, PUCL, Mumbai 17. Mansoor Sardar, IMSD, Bhiwandi 18. Massoma Ranalvi, IMSD, We Speak Out, Delhi 19. Mohammed Imran, PIO, USA 20. Muniza Khan, IMSD, CJP, Varanasi 21. Naseeruddin Shah, Actor, Mumbai 22. Nasreen Fazelbhoy, IMSD, Mumbai 23. Qutub Jahan, IMSD, NEEDA, Mumbai 24. (Dr) Ram Puniyani, IMSD, Author, Activist, Mumbai 25. Rashida Tapadar, Academic, Activist, Nagaland 26. Ratna Pathak, Actor, Mumbai 27. Sabah Khan, IMSD, Parcham, Mumbra/Mumbai 28. Saif Mahmood, IMSD, Supreme Court Lawyer, Delhi 29. Shabana Azmi, Actor, Former MP, Mumbai 30. Shabana Mashraki, IMSD, Consultant, Mumbai 31. Shabnam Hashmi, Anhad, Delhi 32. Shama Zaidi, Documentary Film Maker, Mumbai 33. Shamsul Islam, Author, Delhi 34. Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, IMSD, TV Commentator, Delhi 35. Simantini Dhuru, Documentary Film Maker, Mumbai 36. Sohail Hashmi, IMSD, Sahmat, Delhi 37. Sultan Shahin, Editor-in chief and publisher, New Age Islam, Delhi 38. Taizoon Khorakiwala, Businessman, Philanthropist, NRI 39. Teesta Setalvad, IMSD, CJP, SabrangIndia Online, Mumbai 40. Yash Paranjpe, Activist, Mumbai 41. Yousuf Saeed, Documentary Film Maker, Delhi 42. Zakia Soman, BMMA, Delhi 43. Zeenat Shaukat Ali, IMSD, Wisdom Foundation, Mumbai URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/maulana-nomani-muslim-women-empowerment-/d/129663 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism