• Why Jihad Watch?
  • About Robert Spencer and Staff Writers
  • FAQ
  • Books
  • Muhammad
  • Islam 101
  • Privacy

Jihad Watch

Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Storm over Indian women’s mosque

Feb 3, 2004 8:23 am By Robert Spencer

Muslim women aren’t fighting for equality just in West Virginia. This news from India comes via the the BBC, with thanks to EPG:

Daud Sharifa is meeting a group of distressed Muslim women – business as usual at her red-brick office in sleepy Pudukkottai, in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The shy women tell in low voices stories of how they have been divorced, abandoned and mistreated by their husbands.

Sharifa, a 39-year-old single woman who runs a 3,000-strong network to help Muslim women, gives advice.

The audience listens to her impassioned plea for women to build their own place of worship and be involved in community rulings on marriage, divorce, domestic abuse and child custody.

“Would having a place of worship of your own help? Would a jamat [community elders at mosques who adjudicate on family matters] of women be more sympathetic to your cause?” asks Sharifa.

The women nod in unison.

Rising complaints

Sharifa, an unlikely feminist in India’s traditionally male-dominated southern heartland, has caused a storm by leading the movement for the women’s mosque.

“We want our space to meet, talk, discuss our grievances and pray. We want to have a say in community rulings,” Sharifa told BBC News Online.

In India, Muslim women mostly pray in buildings adjoining mosques; in some big mosques there are separate prayer enclosures.

“The majority of mosques do not allow women to pray,” says Badar Sayed, a Chennai-based lawyer and chairwoman of Tamil Nadu’s Waqf Board.

Waqf boards are elected bodies of Muslim theologians.

Ms Sayed says it is extremely important for women to be a part of a mosque congregation.

“Sometimes the sermons relate to women. Women should be present, listening in and finding out what they are all about,” she says.

Female worshippers must often pray in adjacent buildings

Sharifa says the idea of a women’s mosque was motivated by the rising number of complaints from local Muslim women against what they see as partisan rulings by the jamat.

Last year, she received over 100 petitions from women against jamat rulings in matters of dowry, divorce and domestic violence.

“The mosque will be a symbol of our awakening. Men are welcome to come and pray, but women will manage the affairs and be on its jamat,” says Sharifa.

Badar Sayed agrees that the “male-dominated jamats” are often biased in rulings that affect women.

“Women are oppressed. The jamat does rule against them most of the time,” she says.

“Men are sitting in judgment. Jamats should accept women into their fold.”

Compromise

But Mohammed Sikkandar, secretary of Chennai’s Purasawalkam mosque, says the jamats are “by and large fair”.

“In matters of family dispute, we take our decision after talking to the affected women. Nothing is hastily decided,” he says.

Mr Sikkandar says that of the 40 family dispute cases that came to his mosque in the past year, all but five were settled with a compromise.

He says jamats have even given away hefty compensation packages to women, citing the example of a 400,000-rupee ($8,800) award his jamat paid to a woman divorcing her abusive husband.

But this does not deter Sharifa, who says that there “might be a few good men, and a few good jamats”, but the system is stacked against women.

She has toured villages and towns, collecting 9,000 rupees ($200) towards building the mosque. She will need $55,000.

Rashida Begum, a 21-year-old teacher and divorcee, is one of the Pudukkottai women supporting her.

“We are confined to our homes. Our thoughts are pent up. Our mosque will help us to get together and vent our feelings,” Ms Begum says.

Rajitha Begum, 37, whose husband abandoned her, says a mosque would help women who have “nobody to go to”.

“You don’t realise how helpless women are. We have no fallback, no opportunities to decide our fates. Our mosque will show the way,” she says.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Follow me on Facebook

Filed Under: India, women's rights in Islam


Learn more about RevenueStripe...

FacebookYoutubeTwitterLog in

Subscribe to the Jihad Watch Daily Digest

You will receive a daily mailing containing links to the stories posted at Jihad Watch in the last 24 hours.
Enter your email address to subscribe.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!
If you are forwarding to a friend, please remove the unsubscribe buttons first, as they my accidentally click it.

Subscribe to all Jihad Watch posts

You will receive immediate notification.
Enter your email address to subscribe.
Note: This may be up to 15 emails a day.

Donate to JihadWatch
FrontPage Mag

Search Site

Translate

The Team

Robert Spencer in FrontPageMag
Robert Spencer in PJ Media

Articles at Jihad Watch by
Robert Spencer
Hugh Fitzgerald
Christine Douglass-Williams
Andrew Harrod
Jamie Glazov
Daniel Greenfield

Contact Us

Terror Attacks Since 9/11

Archives

  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2005
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2004
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2003
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • March

All Categories

You Might Like

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Recent Comments

  • Crusades Were Right on New study reveals that Muslim religiosity strongly linked to hatred towards the West
  • Naildriver on Uighur leader: ‘We’re actually quite worried’ about what Biden might let China get away with
  • Crusades Were Right on Canadian Mental Health Association studies Muslim women’s mental health due to ‘discrimination’ and ‘hate crimes’
  • Crusades Were Right on Muslim cleric: ‘We welcomed the takeover of ISIS because they wanted to implement the Sharia’
  • curious george on Israel At A Crossroads?

Popular Categories

dhimmitude Sharia Jihad in the U.S ISIS / Islamic State / ISIL Iran Free Speech

Robert Spencer FaceBook Page

Robert Spencer Twitter

Robert Spencer twitter

Robert Spencer YouTube Channel

Books by Robert Spencer

Jihad Watch® is a registered trademark of Robert Spencer in the United States and/or other countries - Site Developed and Managed by Free Speech Defense

Content copyright Jihad Watch, Jihad Watch claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to their respective owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Our mailing address is: David Horowitz Freedom Center, P.O. Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, CA 91499-1964

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.