CREATING POWER PUFF GIRLS

She formed the world’s first all-woman Jamaat. Now, Sharifa Khanam is aiming for another first: A mosque just for women

For Daud Sharifa Khanam, 41, the only goal was to empower Muslim women so that they can fight for their basic needs, be it emotional, physical or material.

But, she had no idea what she was in for. “I did not expect this response. I wanted to sensitise Muslim women about basic human rights. But, once they savoured freedom and power, they told me: ‘Now that we have come out, give us power,’” says Khanam, who thought of separate Jamaat (gathering) when she found women getting sidelined in the existing Jamaats and “male chauvinism ruling the roost.”

“We still face threats. But, at the same time we know that many Jamaats have begun respecting us and also recommending cases to us,” she adds.

In a world where Muslim women are seldom heard, the Jamaat was formed at a convention in Karumandapam in Tiruchy in February 2004 and the Quran was read out. It has since settled disputes relating to nikah, dowry and domestic violence. One of its Arabic scholars even conducted a ‘nikah.’

“This is not a religious fight. It is a struggle to empower women. We go by issues. If the men refuse to heed our decision, we take the cases to the police,” said Khanam.

A post-graduate in history and office management from Aligarh University, Khanam came into limelight when she began speaking about a mosque for women.

The seed of revolt germinated in Khanam when this girl from a middle class family, where she lived in the cocoon of comfort and safety, began field studies on the condition of Muslim women in Tamil Nadu. In 1991, she formed ‘STEPS,’ an organisation to empower Muslim women.

It has now formed Jamaat groups in all the 13 districts of Tamil Nadu and has 10,000 members.

Khanam feels the Jamaat is not complete without a mosque. “It will be a place that women could call their own. A woman Quran scholar would be appointed priest. Though we were given land by the Muslim community in Parambore village, they were threatened by religious heads.

We did not want legal troubles later. So I have dedicated a piece of land in Pudukottai. We will build the mosque little by little as we gather money. It will be a space where women could pray, talk, laugh, share and discuss,” said Sharifa, who is still being labelled as a bigot and an RSS agent.

THE LIVES SHE HAS TOUCHED

When tsunami struck in December 2004, what hit Zubeda, 45, was human apathy. “I found that Christian missionaries were helping only the Christians and the Hindu organisations helping the Hindus,” she said. Zubeda, who stayed in Tracepuram in Tuticorin district, approached Khanam for help. The meeting changed her life as Zubeda even challenged the Jamaat in Tuticorin.

Rajathi, 51, went looking for Khanam when her daughter was sent back home by her in-laws, alleging that she was HIV positive. The Jamaat at Manaparai in Madurai district, where her daughter lived, too refused to interfere. Rajathi drew strength from Khanam and filed a police complaint. Her daughter and son-in-law underwent a test again and tested negative. She is now back in her husband’s home.