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By Appu Esthose Suresh
Writes from New Delhi
(November 30 New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) A resolution ordering Muslim schoolgirls above ten years of age to adhere to Sharia norms was drowned out in the brouhaha over Muslims singing Vande Mataram. The resolution was passed at the same 30th annual convention of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in Deoband — attended by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram — that hit the headlines for issuing a fatwa against terrorism and for urging Muslims not to sing Vande Mataram. The Sharia resolution asked “competent Muslims” to establish more educational institutions so that students could pursue their studies in an “Islamic atmosphere”.
The resolution read: “A section of Muslim students who get admission in the government and semi-government common institution for modern courses, get isolated and sometimes become unaware about their Islamic values. It is therefore necessary for the competent Muslims to establish as many primary, secondary, higher secondary schools and colleges as possible. To establish professional and technical institutions. Only the existing modern syllabus should be taught along with a special arrangement for providing education about religious studies under Islamic atmosphere. Special arrangements for the training should be made to achieve this aim. To establish non-residential modern educational institutions for girls’ education is essential and to carve out a special syllabus for them which should be completed within six years. On completion of 10 years of age, complete Sharia norms should be observed while continuing their education.”
Azra Razzak, who was a senior consultant with the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee, defended the resolution by telling Covert, “The demand for more institutions run in an Islamic atmosphere is basically to protect the identity of minorities. Regular schools are somehow a comfort zone for the majority community and do not reflect the diversity of the country, the values of the minorities and other marginalised sections of society.” She added, “What is important is to make sure that education is provided to Muslim girls; even if it is with a veil and hijab. Sometimes I am upset on the insistence by the so-called secularists as to why Muslim girls should wear purdah. I think it is their [Muslims’] religious belief and so be it. So I don’t find anything wrong if a Muslim organisation thinks that Sharia laws should be observed in education.”
Photo: A Muslim schoolgirl practises Chinese wushu martial arts inside her school compound in Hyderabad. Girls from ages 10 to 16 participate in weekly sessions during school termProfessor Najma Akhtar, head of department, Educational Administration, National University of Educational Planning and Administration, differed by saying, “Every religion’s value system is as good as Islamic values. I don’t believe that Muslims should study only in an Islamic atmosphere.” However, on the issue of girls’ education she agreed with Razzak: “The stress should be given to the fact that girls’ education is being encouraged, and not on the call for adherence to Sharia norms. Whether to follow Sharia norms or not is an individual choice and I don’t see anything wrong if some organisation is suggesting that these should be followed.” What these Sharia norms would specifically mean is not spelt out in the resolution, but when contacted by Covert, Maulana Niaz Ahmad Farooqi, who drafted the resolution, said, “We take a lenient and positive interpretation of Sharia law. While it is at times misinterpreted as no education for women whatsoever, we say there should be equal opportunity. And some norms should be implemented such as those that discourage co-education. Considering society is unfortunately unsafe for women I think it is a concern that parents share in general, not just Muslims alone. In order to address that we are saying open more educational institutes for women.” S.Q.R. Illyasi, spokesperson of Muslim Personal Law Board, said Sharia norms only demand that women be dressed modestly. He asserted, “Islam is an ideology and represents a great civilisation. If students are to be trained in these great values it is good to create an atmosphere where the future generation can be groomed. It will help them to ascertain their identity.”
The resolution has drawn flak from activists and academics who see in it an attempt by the conservatives to impose their will on the Muslim community. The gender bias, they say, is unmistakable and it is yet another attempt to promote seclusion and ensure that Muslim girls do not break free of imposed shackles. Activist Shabnam Hashmi said, “This is totally unacceptable, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has no right to speak on behalf of every Muslim or direct every Muslim what they should be doing. This is as obnoxious as Bal Thackeray demanding everyone in Maharashtra should know Marathi if they want to remain in Mumbai.” She further said, “In order to overcome the existing gender inequalities in society, co-education is very important. The Muslim community needs to interact with other communities and this can be best done in schools. This sort of seclusion, as proposed in the resolution, only helps in alienating other communities. This is absolute nonsense.” Echoing similar views S. Irfan Habib, who holds the Maulana Azad Chair at NUEPA, said, “This is completely unwarranted and should be widely condemned. These are the personal choices of individuals and Jamiat has no business meddling with it. In fact these directions should be discouraged.” The All India Democratic Women’s Association was concerned at the attempt to curtail opportunities that are open to women belonging to all faiths and to impose dress codes on them. AIDWA president Subhashini Ali told Covert, “One important feature that has been noted is the tremendous enthusiasm with which Muslim girls and young women are entering into various educational and professional streams and also into a very wide range of occupations. It would be most tragic if attempts are now made to limit the options open to them in the name of the Sharia. Even if the Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind resolution is not calling for the ending of mainstream education for Muslim girls at the age of ten, its insistence on their observing Sharia norms after that age may in practice lead to that, because educational institutions that are not co-educational or where different kinds of burqa are not permitted because of the use of uniforms, may not be available. AIDWA regrets that while the Jamiat conference has taken a progressive stand on the abolition of dowry it has unfortunately adopted these rather regressive resolutions.”
Like Subhashini Ali many were taken aback at this resolution from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, an organisation that has taken pride in a liberal tradition. But the clerics were not impressed. “If this is considered conservative, then so be it,” was the response from Maulana Niaz Ahmad Farooqi. -Sri Lanka Guardian
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