Tag: Indian Muslim Women

modi about Hajj Pilgrimage

Hajj Pilgrimage Very Special For Muslim Women From India This Year: Modi

By LokMarg

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Hajj pilgrimage was especially special for Muslim women from India this year, as more than 4,000 such women went on the annual pilgrimage without a Mehram (male guardian).

Addressing the nation during the 103rd episode of his monthly radio broadcast. ‘Mann Ki Baat’, PM Modi termed the Hajj pilgrimage by Muslim women from India, without their male parents or custodians, as a ‘huge transformation’.
He said he received numerous letters from Muslim women, sharing their experiences from the Hajj this year.

“I received a lot of letters (ahead of his latest ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address), which brought me great joy. These letters have been written by Muslim women, who recently returned from the Hajj pilgrimage. Their journey this year was very special in many ways,” PM Modi said.

“These are the women, who performed their Hajj rituals with any male companion or Mehram. And, such pilgrims numbered not 50 or 100, but more than 4,000. This marks a huge transformation,” he added.

PM Modi also thanked the Government of Saudi Arabia for the unique Hajj experience for Muslim women this year.

“Earlier, Muslim women were not allowed to perform Hajj rituals without Mehram. Through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Saudi Arabia for making this possible. Women coordinators were specially appointed for women pilgrims, who went on Hajj without male companions,” he said.

According to an official statement, 4,314 Muslim women from India performed the Hajj rituals at Mecca in Saudi Arabia, this year.

The annual pilgrimage was held between June 26 and July 1.

In October 2022, the Saudi Arabian government announced that (Mehram), a male blood relative with whom marriage is not permissible, will no longer be required to accompany a woman pilgrim from any part of the world.

Saudi Removes Restrictions On Hajj Pilgrim Numbers, Age Limit

Every year, millions of Muslims around the world embark on the sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. This spiritual journey holds immense significance in the lives of believers, offering an opportunity to connect with Allah, seek forgiveness, and strengthen their faith. The heartfelt desire to be among those walking to Mina, echoing the Labaik with the crowd, and performing the rituals of Hajj is a sentiment shared by countless Muslims across the globe.

Hajj is a unique manifestation of unity, as Muslims from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and nations gather in the sacred land of Makkah to perform the rituals together.

It draws people from different walks of life towards a common purpose — setting aside their differences, and embracing one another as equals before Allah. (ANI)

Muslim Women Startups

‘Hijab Ban Is A Toxic Mix Of Sexism & Communalism’

By LokMarg

Dr Ruha Shadab, who provides mentorship to Muslim women startups, says better education and female participation in national workforce are bigger issues than their choice of clothing

It all started at a government college in Udupi (Karnataka) where six Muslim girls were not allowed to attend classes for wearing hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women. College principal Rudra Gowda said he wanted to ensure uniformity in classrooms. The ban triggered a political slugfest, spreading out of Karnataka to other parts of the country, with demonstrations in favour of and against the hijab ban. The matter is now being heard by the Karnataka High Court. But we are missing the wood for the trees.

The choice of a woman’s clothing has been policed by men in our society and in our civilization for millennia. Women are pushed to fit into a narrow approved-limit of what they can say or cannot, what they can do or cannot, and what they can wear or cannot. Such patriarchal stereotype is not just a violation to the right of Indian Muslim women; this is a direct affront to the human rights. In this light I believe the current hijab ban is a toxic mix of sexism and communalism.

This is hardly the first time that a woman’s choice to cover one’s face or head — using a burqa, niqab or hijab — has created controversy. In 2013, Turkey lifted its decades-old ban on headscarves in the civil service. Many European countries like France, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Russia prohibit full-face veils (niqab and burka) in public spaces such as courts and schools. The debate and disagreement carry on.

ALSO READ: A Headscarf Lifts The Veil Off BJP

In India, interestingly, this episode has taken the wind out of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao slogan. Many political leaders, such as Mehbooba Mufti, have called out the hollowness of this slogan when Muslim girls are being denied the right to education simply because of their attire.

Dr Shadab says hijab ban takes the wind out of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao slogan

Over 50% of Muslim women in India are illiterate today — literacy being officially defined rather generously to include just about anyone who can read and write a sentence or two. The situation in the northern states, and rural areas, is particularly dismal. About 85% of rural north Indian Muslim women are illiterate. The situation in the South, especially in urban areas, is considerably better, with 88% literacy rate among women.

Education indicators of our country are not where they should be, not only in terms of getting more people educated but also in terms of the kind of education that we provide. There are some communities which lag behind national indicators for the average of education and employment indicators. The Muslim woman community is one of them.

This means we need to create a more empowering space to help these marginalised communities to achieve the education level and employment aspirations that we all hold as a country. What is happening right now is the diagonally opposite. Indian Muslim women constitute a community of 100 million people and it is not a homogenous group; even on the matter of hijab, there is a spectrum of opinions among Muslim women.

The hijab is not an issue that this country needs to waste its energy and resources. The problem that needs to be addressed is why are women not an equal participant in the national workforce? Why are women not leading Indian companies in a respectable ratio? Why are our education enrollment and outcomes ratios of some women communities lower than the national average? These are the real issues that beg our attention.

First Leadership Incubator for Indian Muslim Women

‘Muslim Women Can Positively Impact Indian Indicators’

By LokMarg

Harvard graduate Ruha Shadab, who founded India’s first leadership incubator for Indian Muslim women, spells out her journey and the reasons for keeping her venture community- and gender-specific

Before launching my own venture, I wore several hats. As an academician, I completed my Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University; as a policy maker, I was associated with NITI Aayog; and as a frontline health professional with Clinton Health Access Initiative. Amid all this, I looked for a respectful and inclusive economic model that can eliminate entry and retention barriers for underrepresented women.

There are two million Muslim women in India with graduate degrees, yet very few Muslim women leaders. A dearth of role models and customized programs sensitive to the unique struggles of these women could account for a lack of C-suite success stories. While education is an important ingredient in climbing professional ladders, it does not always translate into success.

That is when I thought of LedBy, a leadership incubator designed to help Indian Muslim women. Indian Muslim women comprise a massive community of 100 million strength and if we happen to tap into their potential, we can really move the needle on a host of indicators everything from poverty, male female ratio, female labour force participation rate etc.

ALSO READ: ‘Skill India Opened A New Window For Me’

Our challenge was how one makes these women contribute to the Indian growth story equivalent to their potentials, aspirations, ambition and aptitude. We set our goal in transforming Indian Muslim women’s education into empowerment by providing them with real-life career skills, a supportive ecosystem, and access to the right opportunities and networks.

When we started we had no idea what the market would be like. There was no data on Indian Muslim women. We conducted about 1,000 interviews. During the interactions, I discovered a trend irrespective of region or religion. Most women said, ‘I am thankful to my husband for letting me do this’; ‘Oh I didn’t want to study but my husband encouraged me’; or ‘Thanks to the men in my family.. However not one man said to me, “Thanks to my wife…” I found that mentality a little troubling.

India is a super diverse country and that is 100 percent our strength but we do realize as well that people sometimes do need targeted intervention in terms of the support that they have. As a doctor you don’t give the same medicine to every patient even though every patient may be feeling sick. None of this is unheard of. We all know that the reality of a Muslim and Hindu in India is different although they are culturally so similar and citizens of the same country.

There is up skilling in our programme but it is more than that. Here we are understanding that soft skill is more than just getting their English right. Soft skills is about understanding the other person, being empathetic, understanding their underlying interests, language being secondary. The level and the curriculum of our incubation is avant-garde. We are creating a group of likeminded ambitious Indian Muslim women.

ALSO READ: Watch – Challenges For A Startup Are Unlimited

People talk about women from different communities needing our programme. I agree that Muslim women are not the only ones who need this programme. However, I don’t want to dilute the curriculum. But I am more than happy to share all the programming and strategy with anyone who wants to set up a LedBy for any community that needs it. My goal is to have the best programme and then share it across communities and continue to contextualize and customize it.

My message to Muslim women is: Dream Big. Dream different from what you have been taught about your place in a family. I won’t say you can do it because it is a very privileged way of saying it. There are people who because of their backgrounds do not have the access and money to make it big but to dream big and to actively look for supporters, sponsors and mentors is really important. I must reiterate that the big bad world that we are taught about is not that bad after all.

As Told To Mamta Sharma