CS: The W in Islam

Islam is stereotypically seen as a religion that does not give equal rights to women. What do Muslim women think of this?

Garima Srivastava Delhi

There are two major points of confrontation about the status of women in Islam: one is divorce and the other is polygamy. The issue of divorce, according to Islamic law, can be interpreted in two ways. The first is 'triple talaaq' wherein just a triple utterance of the word talaaq by a husband is sufficient ground for divorce. The second interpretation is that a provisional period of three months is given for reconciliation between each talaaq.

Many Indian Muslims are unaware of the latter interpretation and prefer the rigid triple talaaq, although it is banned in several Islamic countries, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. In the recent past, there have been incidents when husbands have divorced their wives by e-mail, over the phone or even by text messages (SMS).

Although divorce by talaaq is not very common among educated middle-class Muslim families, the problem is acute among those from less affluent and uneducated backgrounds. Hafeez Begum, a domestic help working in Delhi, says, “I feel amendments are required in the matter of talaaq, because it is the women who suffer. It might not be a big deal for those who are educated and can earn enough to live a better life, but if women like us are divorced, how will we survive?”

Arsia Nasir, a teacher in Delhi's Hamdard Primary School, says, “The basic problem is illiteracy. One will not find such problems in the educated elite classes, partly because they are educated and also because of the social stigma attached to divorce.”            

Another matter of controversy in Islam is polygamy. Few, however, know that taking more than one wife is only permissible, not ordained by the Quran, as mentioned in the verse revealed after the battle of Uhud. In that battle, many men died and the need for the protection of widows and orphans arose, necessitating an institutionalised form of polygamy. Arsia Nasir clarifies how the concept of seven marriages in Islam is misunderstood: “It's not polygamy as people think. The concept was to give shelter to the women who were abandoned due to war or for any other reason, but it was misused.”

Hafeez Begum agrees that polygamy should be banned. “I can understand how difficult it can be for a woman whose husband re-marries or keeps some other woman, who, in majority of the cases, is the relative of the wife herself. My own brother-in-law is living with his wife and the wife's elder sister, that too without getting married. These things suit only those who earn well to look after more than one wife and their children. If he is not able to look after one wife, how can he look after two or more? Ulemas should think seriously about this,” she says.

President of the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board, Saista Amber, demands equal rights for women. She says, "We are opposed to those ulemas who are against giving genuine rights to Muslim women. There should be more thinking about giving education to Muslim women so that they are not exploited in future."

Officially, in Islam, there is no difference between men and women. But reality is different. Syeda Parveen, an M. Phil student at Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi, says, “There is a big difference between us and Hindu girls of our age. They can plan outings with college friends. We cannot even think of it. Also, when it comes to developing relationships with boys, we have to think a thousand times before taking a step.”    

In villages, the situation is worse. Beating up of wives, men keeping two or more wives, is fairly common. In Mewat district of Haryana, in the proximity of 'post-modern' Gurgaon, women do not even realise that their life can be better. They have accepted their living conditions as their fate.

Zafran, a local woman, says, “Male members of the family always have the last word. Sometimes, they give us money to spend on daily expenses; sometimes they don't. That depends on the mood of the husband. If the wife makes any extra demands, she may get beaten up. The husband expects us to walk two kilometres every day to get water, but he will not move from his bed. However, he won't let his wife go to the market just two metres away to buy vegetables. If she inthat as his rightsists, he would suspect her of having an affair with some other man and beat her up. But if he has random affairs, he justifies .”

Muslim women regret the fact that Islam is now being considered a religion of terrorism, whereas the religion preaches non-violence. Ursala Jung, a homemaker who used to work with HDFC, says, “The world does not trust Islam any longer, especially after 9/11. The reason why people suspect Islam is because they do not know what is written in the Quran. Those involved in terrorist activities do not understand the teachings of Islam. The Quran is written in Arabic. Few Muslims in India know Arabic. So we have to rely on the maulvis and other religious teachers. I think the Quran should be translated into the language we understand, so that the teachings of Allah are understood. This can help people understand Islam.”