By recently suspending its women’s wing, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has ignited a hornet’s nest. Many people in the community have criticized the board, claiming that it clipped the wings of the women members who were vocal and assertive.
AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani informed women’s wing convenor Dr. Asma Zehra in writing that the wing had been suspended and forbade the women from organizing any events under its auspices. Additionally, Dr. Zehra was tasked by Rahmani to close all social media accounts used by the wing’s members. The letter stated that it would remain halted until guidelines were created.
On the directive of the board’s then-general secretary (late) Maulana Wali Rahmani, the women’s wing was established in 2015 to promote women’s involvement and raise awareness of personal laws.
The decision made by AIMPLB has been referred to as arbitrary and unilateral by many board members, including senior working committee members. Only five women make up the working committee’s 51 members, making the board heavily male and maulvi. “We were not given the opportunity to defend ourselves. These guidelines need to have been made available if the board expects us to follow them. Instead, we have been told to stop conducting events and destroy all of the social media accounts we created while the pandemic was still active. This has really damaged us,” said Dr. Zehra, a Hyderabad-based physician who also practices.
Based on the conclusions of a four-member inquiry committee established in March 2022, the board suspended the wing.
However, it was claimed that the board had dissolved the women’s wing on numerous Muslim social media sites. “The wing has merely been suspended; it has not been dissolved. By providing them a presence on several committees, the board has empowered women,” according to Qasim Rasool Ilyas, a member of the board’s working committee and the chairman of the committee that proposed suspending the wing.
When questioned about the decision’s justification, Ilyas stated that there had been numerous complaints about wing members going above and beyond their mandate. “They had started initiatives like teaching women how to sew, tailor, and stitch. Students were receiving scholarships from them. These operations are outside the scope of the board,” he said.
Director of the think tank Markazul Maarif Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi expressed shock over the quick decision and noted that the wing had performed amazing work, particularly during mobilization against CAA-NRC. “They brought lakhs of women onto the streets by using the services of the women’s wing. And today, a handful of independent choices made are referred to as sins. They were penalized for speaking out, being smart, and being forceful,” according to board volunteer and supporter Maulana Burhanuddin.
News Mania Desk
