IMSD condemns ‘Maulana’ Sajjad Nomani’s Talibani firman

The cleric prays to Allah to condemn to eternal hell Muslim parents who send their daughters to college unaccompanied

Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) is shocked by the blatantly anti-women diktat of the spokesman of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, ‘Maulana’ Sajjad Nomani.

In a video clip posted on youtube (https://youtu.be/tyO5E8MgQEQ), the influential cleric with a large following among Muslims across the country can be seen and heard issuing the edict: “Do not send your girls to college unaccompanied, not even with a hijab. This is haram, haram (forbidden, sinful). On this night of holy Ramzan, I send this curse on parents who send their daughters to a coaching centre or college unaccompanied: unless they mend their ways, may Allah condemn them to hell.”  

Nomani further declared: hijab or burqa is not enough… it is the duty of parents to keep in touch with the college principal and urge her/him to inform them if their daughter bunks any classes.

The word ‘Maulana’ means a learned Muslim scholar but the latest fulmination of Nomani reeks of blatant ignorance and misogyny. Where does his dire warning leave his flock of followers? How practical is it for either of the parents to accompany their hijab or burqa-clad daughter to college and back, then to coaching classes and back on an everyday basis? What if they have more than one daughter, pursuing different courses/careers, attending different colleges? And what if both parents are working?

Nomani’s imagery and advise are patently feudal; unsuited for Indian Muslims who are overwhelmingly working class. Does it also mean that sending their daughter to a hostel is out of the question? Is this not an indirect way of advising parents to keep their daughters away from higher education? And what about the sons: do as they please?

When the Taliban recaptured power in Afghanistan in 2021, Nomani was among the first to rejoice and dash off his congratulations to the mullahs. His blatantly anti-women utterances are proof of his Talibani mindset. By damning those who do not follow his diktat to hell, Nomani is attempting to exert pressure upon and influence his followers to discriminate against women in the community and deprive them of their agency, right to move freely and right to education which are provided under the Indian Constitution.

Muslim women are leaders and educators of today, with equal rights and entitlements. Nomani is not only threatening those rights directly by misrepresenting and using the tool of religion, but is misusing his authority to propagate inequality and orthodoxy. The IMSD categorically rejects Nomani’s antediluvian ideas and underlines that they do not represent the opinion of all Indian Muslims. This moral policing of women should stop and the likes of Nomani should be called out by all right-thinking Indians.

Many decades ago, it was this very mindset which advised Muslims to keep away from modern education as a result of which Muslims are the most deprived community in India. Today, when Muslim women are coming out in large numbers to access higher education, it should be welcomed and the community should put structures in place to facilitate this process. Instead, we have regressive minds like Nomani who want to put breaks on Muslim women empowerment and re-domesticate them. In particular, we appeal to Muslim organizations to condemn this anti-women statement of Nomani.  

Signatories:

  1. A. J. Jawad, Advocate, Chennai
  2. Aftab Khan, Journalist, Nasik
  3. Anjum Rajabali, Film Writer, Mumbai
  4. Arif Kapadia, IMSD, Business, Activist, Mumbra, Thane
  5. Arshad Alam, IMSD, Columnist, New Age Islam, Delhi
  6. Aziz Lokhandwala, Businessman, Mumbai
  7. Bader Sayeed, Advocate, former MLA, Chennai
  8. Bilal Khan, IMSD, Activist, Mumbai
  9. Farhan Rahman, Asst. Prof., Ranchi University, Ranchi
  10. Feroze Mithiborwala, IMSD, Co-convener, Bharat Bachao Andolan, Mumbai
  11. Gauhar Raza, Anhad, Delhi
  12.  Irfan Engineer, IMSD Co-convener, CSSS, Mumbai
  13.  Javed Anand, IMSD Convener, CJP, SabrangIndia Online, Mumbai
  14.  Kasim Sait, Businessman, Philanthropist, Chennai
  15.  Khadija Farouqui, IMSD, Activist, Delhi
  16.  Lara Jesani, IMSD, PUCL, Mumbai
  17.  Mansoor Sardar, IMSD, Bhiwandi
  18.  Massoma Ranalvi, IMSD, We Speak Out, Delhi
  19.  Mohammed Imran, PIO, USA
  20.  Muniza Khan, IMSD, CJP, Varanasi
  21.  Naseeruddin Shah, Actor, Mumbai
  22. Nasreen Fazelbhoy, IMSD, Mumbai
  23.  Qutub Jahan, IMSD, NEEDA, Mumbai
  24.  (Dr) Ram Puniyani, IMSD, Author, Activist, Mumbai
  25.  Rashida Tapadar, Academic, Activist, Nagaland
  26.  Ratna Pathak, Actor, Mumbai
  27. Sabah Khan, IMSD, Parcham, Mumbra/Mumbai
  28.  Saif Mahmood, IMSD, Supreme Court Lawyer, Delhi
  29.  Shabana Azmi, Actor, Former MP, Mumbai
  30.  Shabana Mashraki, IMSD, Consultant, Mumbai
  31.  Shabnam Hashmi, Anhad, Delhi
  32.  Shama Zaidi, Documentary Film Maker, Mumbai
  33.  Shamsul Islam, Author, Delhi
  34.  Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, IMSD, TV Commntator, Delhi
  35.  Simantini Dhuru, Documentary Film Maker, Mumbai
  36. Sohail Hashmi, IMSD, Sahmat, Delhi
  37. Sultan Shahin, Editor-in chief and publisher, New Age Islam, Delhi
  38. Taizoon Khorakiwala, Businessman, Philanthropist, NRI
  39.  Teesta Setalvad, IMSD, CJP, SabrangIndia Online, Mumbai
  40.  Yash Paranjpe, Activist, Mumbai
  41.  Yousuf Saeed, Documentary Film Maker, Delhi
  42.  Zakia Soman, BMMA, Delhi
  43.  Zeenat Shaukat Ali, IMSD, Wisdom Foundation, Mumbai

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