By Investing In Our Women And Education, India’s Muslims Can Prosper

Women’s education in Islam is considered as important as men’s. But due to patriarchy and social conservatism, Muslim women in India are treated unequally.

Dear Ashraful Makhluqat (the highest form of creation),

I’m neither an oxford graduate nor a retired IAS, nor have I done a PhD in sociology. I am a 28-year-old unemployed, unmarried woman aspiring to join coveted Civil Services to serve my country. But I am more into travelling, exploring, observing, writing and becoming.

I have not done detailed research on the conditions of Indian Muslims. I come from Gujarat and I have lived in Delhi for 5 years. In these 28 years, I made friends with Muslims all around India, from Gujarat to Manipur, Kashmir to Kerala. The UPSC preparation gave me tremendous knowledge of various fields. What I have written in this post is based on my observations, experience and knowledge.

India’s Muslims

From observation, we find issues and from issues come the solutions. So I have something to say.

By the time I am writing this letter to you, our representation in administration is around 3%, in Police service is around 4%. We have a literacy rate of around 60%, a female literacy rate of around 51%, our representation in government jobs and MNCs is minimal. In short, we are doing worse than SC and STs.

And I derived these observations from the Sachar Committee Report (2006). If the UPA had not decided to come up with such a report regarding the condition of Muslims, we would not have any.

What is the reason for this marginalisation? What is the reason behind such stagnant growth in education and employment? What are the things that hamper our progress?

Who is to blame? We, government or misfortune? Can we change the government? No. Can we change our destiny? No. Can we change ourselves? Yes.

Women In Islam

Let me start with the events that took place 1,400 years ago when the Prophet was born in Arab instead of Bani Israel. What was the wisdom behind sending the last Prophet to the Arabs? If you read Islamic history, you will learn about Daur E Jahaliyah (the age of ignorance). The characteristics of this age were not poverty, misery or famine but the mistreatment, systematic oppression and marginalisation of women.

Then the Prophet came with ideas of equality and justice and gave tremendous importance to women. What he talked about the best Muslims, he didn’t say that the best were those who offered salah five times a day. He rather said, “The best among you are those who are best with their women.”

When order and progress arrived in Arab society, it wasn’t characterised by wealth or prosperity but the improvement in women’s lives.

What is the condition of women in our community? Any Muslim woman president of an organisation, leader, politician, writer, author or change-maker? The answer is “a few”. You have systematically restricted them to a “four-walled house”.

There is an African Proverb: “Educate a man and you educate an individual, educate a woman and you educate a nation.” But who wants to reflect upon it? A few.

Society’s Misogyny

When they are beautiful, you tell them that they are entitled to an easy life. Thus, they don’t need to invest in knowledge and skills. When they dream big and have visions, you say, “She is out of control.” They are not preferred by men because only a homemaker can ensure peace in the house.

When you have to find solutions, you don’t consider women as allies. According to you, they are dimwits. You forget that whenever the Prophet was in a crisis, he would first rush to Khadijat Ul Qubra and his daughters and not his male companions.

When you want to marry off your son, you look for a young, white, semiliterate wife who can lighten up your home with her beauty and not with her intellect. You forget that the Holy Prophet had married a woman who was a widow and 15 years elder to him.

When you have to choose a groom for your daughters, you impose your choice and your cultural practices on them. You look for wealth and prosperity. You forget that the Holy Prophet had prioritised character over wealth with the due permission of his daughters.

But why are we talking about marriage? Because the choice you make during that alliance decides the future of your children.

“When there is harmony in the home, there is the order in the nation. When there is the order in the nation, there is peace in the world.” – A P J Abdul Kalam.

Our ignorance is not just limited to restricting women to the home. How many times have we reflected upon our behaviour?

“Verily, Allah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change what is in themselves.” – Quran 13:11.

Investing In Education

When we talk about our glorious past, we remember Ertugrul Ghazi and Salahuddin Aiyubi, but we forget Ibn Sina (thinker, astronomer) and Muhammad Al Khwarizmi (founder of Algebra). Our glorious past is just about war, empire and power but never about our exceptional inventions in maths, medicine and philosophy.

We have forgotten the five pillars of Islam and we have made eating delicious non-veg food the first pillar. Unaware of what our religion says about eating too much. When we gather at a Nukkad or some event, the debate and discussions are never about our conditions and solutions but always about which Biryani is better and where can we get the tastiest Nihari.

We remember Allama Iabal only when we listen to “Sare Jahan se Accha”. We forget his Shiqwa and Jawab E Shiqwa because we don’t like it when someone demands that we become a better version of ourselves. Strange, isn’t it? The words that he wrote some 100 years ago are still applicable to the Muslim youth of the 21st century.

But are we going to be marginalised throughout our existence? Unfortunately, yes, if we are still stubborn and apprehensive of the most needed change. We need to improve the condition of Muslim women, invest in knowledge, skills, stop watching Ertugrul and start doing something productive. The necessary thing, the need of the hour, is an investment in education.

The first verse to be revealed upon the Holy Prophet was: “Iqra Bismi Rabbikal Laji (read, for the sake of your lord).” Allah didn’t say pray, fight, get married, accumulate wealth, he said: “Read”. The very verse exhibits the importance of knowledge and education in our lives.

Lack of the right education is the root cause of all the issues I have mentioned here. If we are still not pondering on this, then we are just one step away from Allama Iqbal’s prophecy:

“Na Samjhoge To Mit Jaoge Aey Musalmanon,
Dastan Tak Na Rahegi Tumhari Daastanon mein.”

I will end this by quoting our very own Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “One who treads a path in search of knowledge has his path to paradise made easy by God,” (Riyadh Us Saleheen, 245).

Featured image provided by the author