Wind of Change: Women Quazis

Afroz Begum and Jahan Ara from Rajasthan became the first women qazis in the country after two year training from Islamic centre in Mumbai. Hena Zaheer and Maria Fazal became first women qazis in Uttar Pradesh.  Although some conservative religious clerics have opposed women qazis as they consider this as a work of men only but women qazis have got support from Darul-Uloom Deoband and All India Sunni Ulema Council.

These women qazis can act as wind of change in muslim community and work for the protection of women rights. They can play important role in cases of education, health, skill development, inheritance, triple talaq, domestic abuse etc which in general is lopsided in the favour of men today by the interpretation done by male qazis. Women qazis can work in the direction of more liberal interpretation of Quran and other religious text to provide equal rights to women and make the society more inclusive. Many women groups  on Muslim community are fighting for Uniform Civil Code (UCC), these women qazis can work to build consensus in the community. Also, the liberal interpretation done by women qazis would provide benign character to the religion and act as bulwark against the narrow extremist interpretation of Islam which is used by extremists and terrorists to justify their illegal action.

Afroz Begum, Jahan Ara, Hena Zaheer and Maria Fazal are the beginning of a start which could bring progressive changes in the Muslim community to provide equal rights to women.