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Four Law Boards : Will Muslim Women Find A 'Masiha'? - By- Tarannum Manjul Live for today, for yesterday has gone and tomorrow still has to come. With this motto in life, this 24 year old young journalist gets going everyday. A through bred Delhite, this graduate in English honours (and several diplomas) went onto to become a journalist working for a leading National daily in Lucknow, (Uttar Pradesh) from the past 4 years. A true gemini to the soul, she loves meeting people and issues related to the underprivileged, women and children touch her the most. a budding development journalist, Tarannum loves writing about the feat achieved by her key areas, and can go anywhere to do that, with nothing stopping her.

Calling the All India Muslim Personal Law Board irresponsible and cruel towards the women, the All India Muslim Women's Personal Law Board was finally formed here in the state capital on February 1. With this, the country now has 4 personal law boards -- the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), the All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB), the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Jabid (AIMPLBJ of the Barelvi sect) and the newly formed All India Muslim Women's Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB). But, it is yet to be seen whether the Muslim women will find a 'masiha' (saviour) in the form of any of these personal law boards.

“Despite prattling about working for the rights of the women, the men-dominated boards took no account of the voice of women,” alleged Shaista Amber, president of the newly formed board.

Claiming wide support amongst grassroot activists working with Muslim women across the country, Shaista said she had approached the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, for more representation and gender balance. "But i have always felt that the AIMPLB refused to comment or interfere on issues where women were suffering. They always preferred to keep mum," Shaista said. She cited the examples of a unani hakim (doctor) Mohd. Hashim of Lucknow, who allegedly sexually exploited his minor daughters and even had children from them. "This is a gunaah (sin). But the AIMPLB did not react on this. We had to go around in the courts pleading the lawyers not to take Hashim's case and instead, help his wife Nazma and her daughters. Had the AIMPLB interfered, things would have been different," Shaista said. She also gave several others examples.

Charging men dominating the affairs of the various personal law boards for the bulk of the problems being faced by the Muslim women, she said when women do not get justice from the Darul-kaza or the Shariat courts they had to knock at the doors of family courts. "We would try to form a Darul kaza ourselves, which would deal with the cases of women," said the secretary, Parveen Abdi.

Talking about the functions of the new board, Shaista said the new board would fight against the division of Islam into different sects, namely Sunni, Shia, Barelvis, Deobandis etc. For this, women’s board would launch an extensive campaign against the patriarchal designs of the existing boards and enlighten women of the “real spirit of Islam”, she pointed out. Abdi added that they would also try to educate the Muslim women about issues like Triple Talaaq, mehar and family planning. The board claims to have Zakiya Jafari, wife of Ahsan Jafari, Congress Member of Parliament killed in the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat, as its senior advisor and would ask the financially affluent Muslim women to support the board. The 35-member board will meet in early March to chalk out its future plan of action.

Barely a day after the formation, the new board already started having teething problems. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) refused to recognise the formation of an 'All India Muslim Women's Personal Law Board', terming it a "joke". "It is nothing but a joke. We strongly condemn it and do not consider it worth a reaction", senior AIMPLB member Maulana Sajjad Nomani said.

Zafaryab Jilani, member of the AIMPLB dismissed the formation of AIWPLB saying that since no ulema (religious preacher or guru) was associated with the newly formed body it had no legal status for taking up religious issues. Begum Naseem Iqtedar Ali, the only women member of the AIMPLB felt that by formation of another board, these women have just added to the confusion. "It would have been better if these women would have formed a forum and tried to intervene in the existing system," Begum Ali commented.

Eminent muslim social activist Naish Hasan said that while all efforts are being made to bring the muslim women to family courts to ensure justice, steps to make another shariat court would only take them back.

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