“We must go ahead and outshine in the field of education, but with our Islamic identity, because progress at the cost of identity is a sheer loss,” said Saliha Malik, Gujarat State President of the Girls Islamic Organisation. She was addressing a large gathering of girl students as the chief guest of GIO’s first state conference in Rajasthan at Muslim Musafir Khana of Jaipur on May 30.
While speaking on the central theme of the conference, “Let Us Spread the Light of Knowledge, Make a Better Society,” Ms Malik said that we can build a better society only by virtue of knowledge. She said that during the time of Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), women played an important role in gaining and spreading knowledge, so much so that many eminent scholars used to come in order to get knowledge from them.
She said the Prophet’s wife Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her) was a big trader as well as a good scholar and doctor, all at the same time. Stressing the importance of education in Islam, she said that it is obligatory for every Muslim, either man or woman to acquire knowledge.
The conference was held as the last programme of the fortnight long state-wide Women’s Awareness Campaign launched by the Women’s Wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Rajasthan.
Habeeba Madani, during the Qur’ān session, said that a true Muslim keeps guard on his or her Salaat (prayers), abstains from useless and insane deeds, doesn’t even go near adultery, keeps vigil over the trusts and fulfils promises. She laid stress on achieving progress through education and fearing Allah the Exalted in every deed.
Engineer Muhammad Saleem, state president Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and patron of GIO Rajasthan, said while addressing the girls that Islamic hijab (veil) is not a barrier in the way of women’s progress; instead it is helpful and provides security for their self respect and dignity.
He advised the Muslim girls to be ideal Muslims by virtue of best etiquette and character, so that the real image of Islam may come forth. He was of the opinion that the very purpose of Islam is to put to an end injustice and ensure rights to people. Hence Muslim girls should raise voice against any kind of oppression, injustice or exploitation they come across, let it be in their houses or on the campus.
GIO State President Sameena Farheen, introducing the organisation, said, “The objective of GIO is to spread education in the light of the Holy Qur’ān and Sunnah, bring awareness among girl students and prepare them for the struggle to stop tyranny and injustice.
Speaking on “Knowledge in the Eyes of Islam”, State Secretary Ubaidah Iqbal said that today knowledge has been split into religious and modern, which is absolutely against the Islamic teachings. “Islam commands its followers to acquire knowledge as a whole, be it religious or of science, arts, commerce or whatever is beneficial to the humanity,” she said.
GIO member, Ayesha Badar said that according to Islam there are two objectives of acquiring knowledge: one is character building and cultivating good etiquette and second dissemination of the knowledge acquired and to benefit the masses by it. She said that nowadays a Muslim girl has to face many difficulties in the campus while keeping her Islamic identity. They are branded as backward and orthodox and they suffer discrimination on the part of teachers as well as fellow students. “We can counter the challenge with our good manners and by being excellent in our studies,” she added.
Mariya Ali, another GIO member, said that when a girl is educated, a whole family gets educated. She was firm that we can bring change in the society only when we are well educated.
On this occasion, girls of GIO Gujarat, Jaipur and Jodhpur presented beautiful Islamic songs.
The GIO also adopted resolutions on some related issues. In one resolution, the organisation welcomed the recently passed, though very late, the ‘Right to Compulsory Education Bill’. It also demanded from the government that the benefit of the Act should reach to the downtrodden sections of the society and minorities, especially girls.
In another resolution the GIO expressed deep concern over the ever increasing nudity in the society, especially obscene demonstration of the female body in films and advertisements. It demanded from the government to immediately ban the films and ads that promote nudity. “Beauty contests, in which the dignity of woman is shattered, also be banned,” it said.
In some countries of the world including ours, Islamic hijab is uselessly being made a topic of debate. “This house unanimously resolves that Islamic hijab is not a hindrance in the way of our progress; instead it safeguards the woman and adds to her dignity. This house appeals to one and all to try to understand the hijab and its benefits and not to target the sisters who want to live in modesty.”
Yet another resolution demanded from the government to grant reservation to the Muslims in proportion to their population in education, army, police and other departments, as until every citizen of the country doesn’t get justice, establishment of peace is not possible and our country cannot progress.
On the Women’s Reservation Bill the organisation resolved, “We believe that the Women’s Reservation Bill, recently presented in the parliament is based upon injustice, as the women of weaker and backward sections and Muslim women have been neglected in it. This house demands from the government to reconsider this bill and a quota be allotted to the women of backward sections and Muslims.”
On female foeticide it said, “This house condemned the increasing incidents of female foeticide in the country and demanded from the elders of the society and the government not to deprive the daughters of their right to live and to put a check on the heinous crime like female foeticide.”
[The writer is State Secretary of Girls Islamic Organisation, Rajasthan]