Indian Muslim Women’s Struggles for Gender Justice: Socio-Cultural Impediments, Islam, Women and Feminism, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam, Women and Feminism

Indian Muslim Women’s Struggles for Gender Justice: Socio-Cultural Impediments

Socio-Cultural Impediments to Indian Muslim Women’s Struggles for Gender Justice

By Yoginder Sikand

Sunday, January 03, 2010

This relatively elitist nature of India’s women’s movement explains, to a great extent, why women from the country’s most deprived and marginalized communities, particularly the Dalits or so-called ‘Untouchables’, the Adivasis or Tribal, indigenous people, and Muslims, have been largely left out of its purview, and are hardly to be found in its leadership positions. On the whole, and barring a few exceptions, ‘high’ caste Hindu women’s activists have evinced little or no interest in the particular concerns of women from these communities. There is no doubt that deeply-ingrained, and often unacknowledged, prejudice against these communities is a major reason for this. With regard to Muslim women, widespread anti-Muslim prejudice prevalent in the wider Indian society must be counted as one of the major factors for the perceived general lack of interest on the part of ‘secular’ women’s groups in Muslim women’s issues and problems. To add to this is the fear that taking up Muslim women’s concerns might invite the opposition of conservative ulema or Muslim clerics and stoke inter-communal controversy. This sidelining by ‘secular’ women’s groups of Muslim women’s concerns has been compounded by the tendency, boosted by the state, conservative Muslim leaders and the Hindu Right, to perceive Muslims solely in religious terms. Because of this, often ‘secular’ women’s groups interventions with regard to Muslim women focus simply on issues related to their religious identity (especially, certain aspects of Muslim Personal Law that are seen to militate against women), rather than on their manifold social, economic, and educational problems and concerns. On the other hand, it is also a fact that certain forms of feminism that are seen to demand complete equality (as opposed to gender justice) for women and men, and that are seen as anti-religion, have, understandably, not attracted many self-identified Muslim women (as opposed to a few highly-educated women of Muslim background whose ‘Muslim-ness’ is simply cultural or incidental and of no particular consequence or importance).

http://newageislam.com/indian-muslim-women%E2%80%99s-struggles-for-gender-justice--socio-cultural-impediments/islam,-women-and-feminism/d/2326

PAKISTAN'S ‘ZAMEER FAROSH’ ARMY IS ENOUGH TO DO THE JOB OF KILLING MUSLIMS, Islam and the West, NewAgeIslam.com

Islam and the West

PAKISTAN'S ‘ZAMEER FAROSH’ ARMY IS ENOUGH TO DO THE JOB OF KILLING MUSLIMS, SIR: Pakistanis Tell American General Petraeus

According to the state-run APP news agency, Zardari told Petraeus and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher that the attacks from drone aircraft should be stopped.

"Continuing drone attacks on our territory, which result in loss of precious lives and property, are counterproductive and difficult to explain by a democratically elected government," Zardari was quoted as saying.

Zardari said the government was "under pressure to react more aggressively" to the strikes.

Washington is suspected in at least 17 missile strikes in Pakistan since August.

In September, a U.S. ground assault in a tribal region in Pakistan's northwest spurred particular outrage. Days later, Pakistani troops challenged two American helicopters operating near the border and U.S. and Pakistani ground forces in the area exchanged fire.

There have been no reports of additional ground assaults since then and Petraeus has given few hints so far about what strategy he will follow.

Pakistan's government is mindful of already widespread opposition in the country to its ties with Washington. However, it has acknowledged its dependence on Western aid in the face of looming economic problems and taken a tough public stance against terrorism and extremism.

Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said in a statement after his meeting with Petraeus that the missile strikes could "create outrage and uproar among the people."

http://newageislam.com/pakistan-s-%E2%80%98zameer-farosh%E2%80%99-army-is-enough-to-do-the-job-of-killing-muslims,-sir--pakistanis-tell-american-general-petraeus---/islam-and-the-west/d/955