Muslim Women's Newsletter
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: alashchandrabiswas@gmail.com">palashchandrabiswas@gmail.com
Institute of Islamic Studies
(Reg. No. E-8900 (Mumbai)
Muslim Women's Newsletter - Vol. 1 No. 8. November 2007 E-mail:csss@mtnl.net.in
Address: 602 & 603, Silver Star, Behind BEST Bus Depot, Santacruz (E), Mumbai: - 400 055.
Edited by
Miss. Qutub Jehan Kidwai
Miss. Shirin Huda
From the Editor's Desk
Today a large number of Muslim women all over the world are excelling in their respective fields, like academicians, social activists, writers, sports persons, doctors, politicians, and in also the most male dominated occupations, like being a Qazi, running hotels, working in armed forces, running taxis on road, running industries, etc.
A Muslim woman has always been considered to be a woman who is to be confined to the four walls of the house, who is usually in a veil, the one who is ever bound by religious and social boundaries. But what we are presenting in this newsletter is the Muslim woman, who is overcoming all such social and religious inhibitions, and proving her potentials, and creating her identity as an achiever.
It has been perceived that lack of education hinders the women from achievements. But there are examples of women, who are illiterate or less literate, and even then creating a niche for themselves.
Over the times we have also seen reforms taking place in most conservative Islamic countries. A large number of NGOs, women's groups, human rights activists, are constantly trying to bring about reforms in the Muslim society, especially in the areas related to women, like triple talaq, hijab, maintenance, polygamy, karokari i.e. honour-killing, female circumcision, etc.
Considering the Indian Muslim women, the issues of polygamy, triple talaq, maintenance, are the grave issues to be dealt with. These problems exist because the women are ignorant of their rights in Qur'an. The women do not get their due because of the people who interpret the Sharia law. There is need for women to educate themselves about their rights in Qur'an and assert these rights.
Through this newsletter we try to throw a light on the problems and achievements of Muslim women, who are always considered to be helpless victims. We welcome your suggestions and views to improve our newsletter, and appeal to you to forward it to your friends.
- Miss. Shirin Huda
A Step Forward
Portrait of a housewife transformed
Hindustan Times
Mumbai, October 25
Shannoo -- as Ishrat Shahbuddin Shaikh is widely known runs a hugely successful Shalimar restaurant and finds the veil very useful in dealing with her employees and customers -- mostly men.
There is no doubt in Shannoo's mind that this work -- running the restaurant -- is meant for men. She found herself thrust into it when her husband died in a car accident some years ago. Now, she wants to hand over the business to her son, adding, "I will hand over the restaurant business to my son and take full charge of the school started by my husband." Omar Sheikh, the eldest son, is 19.
Omar was 16 when Shannoo, a committed housewife, took over the business. She has been to school, but not beyond. And she came here on marriage from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. She was only 18 then.
Clearly, nothing in her resume prepared her for this: a sprawling multi-crore, multi-cuisine restaurant that employs 300 people and serves on an average 1,000 diners every day -- mangur fish bred in own pond is an absolute must.
Her quiet life of a housewife ended on December 7, 2004. "There was a wedding in the family. We decided to take some of her guests from Bahrain to Khandala. There were two-three cars.
"Though quite rare, that day we took separate cars. My husband Shahbuddin Sheikh went with daughters and I with our sons. The accident took place near Panvel. We were completely shattered."
Her husband and one of their four daughters died. Two other daughters were in hospital in critical condition. Shannoo and her sons were, of course, safe. "I remained in a state of shock for four months."
Omar was still in school, younger one barely two years old and there was no one in the family to run the business. "My husband was the only son while I am the youngest among ten of us -- seven brothers and three sisters."
Shannoo's mother-in-law asked her to take over the restaurant, as she did not want a relative or anyone else to run it for them. "Initial days were difficult. Not only was I suffering from the trauma of losing my husband and daughter, but two of my daughters were in hospital while my youngest son was barely two."
"Forget the business," she says, "even running home was difficult." But she believes that because of her husband's religiosity -- when he was alive -- "Allah bailed me out of this crisis."
"I knew nothing -- the management, the accounts. Perhaps, a little knowledge of English helped me also besides a very supportive staff and sincere teachers."
She prayed every day before her daily meeting. That gave her the strength she needed to push dark thoughts and feelings out of her mind and prepared her to face the daily challenges, crises and, in short, the grind.
"My son Omar always accompanied me. But he was too small." And soon she found herself picking up the tricks of the trade.
Shannoo is at work till quite late in the night, supervising her staff and interacting with the customers. But never without the hijab and it is mandatory for people to knock before entering her room -- she doesn't want to be caught without the veil.
As she leans back in her executive chair in a dimly lit plush chamber on the first floor of her 27-year-old restaurant spread over 4000 sq ft area, face carefully covered by a veil (hijab), she talks about her restaurant, life and everything else.
Shalimar has come a long way: the small things first, the flowers are always fresh, the waiting room is air-conditioned and there is the dastarkhan where women or families can comfortably enjoy their meal in total privacy and a fast food centre.
"Dastarkhan was my husband's idea which I implemented. The waiter would enter the room only if called in or else he would leave the trolley outside the door."
She is now planning a chain of Shalimar restaurants in the city, the dream project of her son. "Insha Allah jab bhi sahi jagah milegi, woh bhi pura hoga."
All she wants to do now is to hand over the restaurant to Omar and focus on the school run by her family. "I simply love the Islamic environment of my school. It is an English-medium school with 600 students from nursery to class seven."
"We also impart Islamic education. Students wear Islamic dress and celebrate the Islamic days. We are adding one class every year besides trying for government recognition. Our dream is to take it to the college level," Shannoo added.
That's her dream, and there is no doubt in anyone's mind she will make it comes true. Shannoo is only 35.
Haryana Governor confers Sabir Dutt award on Dr. Syeda Saiyidain
By TwoCircles.net newsdesk
Chandigarh: Haryana Governor, Dr. A.R. Kidwai conferred coveted Sabir Dutt Award for social upliftment of women on Dr. Syeda Saiyidain, at a simple function in Haryana Raj Bhavan on 17th May 2007.
Dr. Syeda Saiyidain is member of the Planning Commission of India. She is the great granddaughter of the Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali Panipati.
She is the founder member of Muslim Women's forum and South Asians for Human Rights. She is Founder trustee for Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia and Center for Dialogue and Reconciliation.
She has done a lot of research work on Maulana Hali who hailed from Panipat in Haryana. Haryana Urdu Akademi has conferred this award for her consistent and committed work for the social upliftment of women.
Late Sabir Dutt was an accomplished Urdu poet of Haryana.
Phool Chand Mullana, Education Minister and senior Vice-Chairman of the Haryana Urdu Akademi, Kashmiri Lal Zakir, Secretary Haryana Urdu Akademi, Mr. Alok Nigam, Secretary to Haryana Governor were also present on this occasion.
Qatar: First woman Colonel in the Qatar Armed Forces
"I reached this position through my dedication and hard work," said Col. Sumayya Hassan Nasser Al Rashid. (The Peninsula)
Sumayya Hassan Nasser Al Rashid has become the first Qatari woman to be promoted to the rank of a Colonel at the Qatar Armed Forces. She currently heads the Internal Diseases Section at the Medical Services Department of the Armed Forces.
Sumayya said the confidence that the Qatari leadership has given to women in the country has helped her reach this high position.
She said she was happy that the Armed Forces have expressed their confidence in her abilities and treated her as equal to her male counterparts.
"I reached this position through my dedication and hard work," said Sumayya.
Before 20 years she joined the Armed Forces as an Officer and that was the last year of her study at the medicine faculty of the King Saud University in Riyadh. Then she graduated and was promoted to Second Lieutenant in 1998 and to First Lieutenant in 1991.
In 2003 Sumayya was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and finally became Colonel on August 1 this year.
Asked how her family responded to her career, Sumayya said, "I am from a military family and most of the family members are working in the army. I got tremendous support and encouragement from my father as well as brothers."
"The relatives were also not a problem to me at all. I joined the Hamad Medical Corporation for training and then joined the medical services unit. The situation in the country is changing in favour of women. Society's perception about women has changed a lot. I have noticed this personally. When I took part in my first military exercise in 2002, I was the only woman participant. I felt as a stranger in that environment. In the exercise that took place ahead of Asian Games in 2006, I was in a very prominent position and I led the entire medical team."
She added that the medical services unit at Qatar Armed Forces has been witnessing a steady growth and development under the guidance and support of the Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces H E Major General Hamad bin Ali Al Atiyyah
.
Two set to be Britain's first Muslim women MPs
The Muslim News, UK
Yasmin Qureshi Rushnara Ali
Two Muslim women prospective parliamentary candidates could become Britain's first Muslim women MPs at the next general election.
Yasmin Qureshi, 44, of Pakistani origin, and Rushnara Ali, 32, of Bangladeshi origin, have been selected for the seats in Bolton South East and Bethnal Green and Bow, respectively.
Qureshi, a barrister and currently the human rights adviser to Mayor of London's office, has worked for the Government Legal Services and the Crown Prosecution Service as well as heading the Criminal Legal Section of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and later directing the Department of Judicial Administration there. In the past, she has been the Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Liberties Working Group of the Association of Muslim Lawyers and has provided guidance on rights under the anti-terrorism and state security legislation.
Qureshi will be succeeding Labour MP Brian Iddon, who won by a 56.9 per cent majority at the last general election. She believes she was chosen for the candidacy because "they thought I had the widest experience in terms of international issues, national issues and different things I had done in my life." Qureshi also believes her commitment to the Labour Party, which she has been a member of since her teens, may have played a part.
Qureshi warns against letting the legacy of Iraq taint all the positive changes Labour has introduced such as their investment in education, health, regeneration, pension credits, the minimum wage, state-funding for faith schools and imams in the prison service.
Commenting on how the Labour candidates were selected, Bolton Council's Executive Member for Regeneration, Cllr Akhtar Zaman Cllr Ibrahim, said: "I don't think members purposely went out to choose local candidates but they have chosen who they feel would be best for the constituency."
Qureshi feels that if elected, it would giver her "a good opportunity to correct a lot of misunderstanding about Islam" and "a platform in which I can help to counteract and correct a lot of misinformation
