The All India Sunni Muslim Council (AISMC) has approved the applications of three women in Kanpur, who want to become 'qazis'. They have got the required educational qualifications, and one of them could soon be appointed as 'shahar qazi'. The move comes close on two women becoming 'qazis in Jaipur.
Uttar Pradesh, a state which boasts a sizeable Muslim population (about 20 per cent), could have its first woman "Shahar Qazi", a judge who decides matters within the community as per Islamic law or Sharia. The novel beginning is, however, already under a pall of controversy with clerics asserting that a woman cannot become a Qazi.
The All India Sunni Muslim Council (AISMC) has approved the applications of three women in Kanpur, who want to become 'qazis'. They have got the required educational qualifications, and one of them could soon be appointed as 'shahar qazi'. The move comes close on two women becoming 'qazis in Jaipur.
"The appointment of a woman qazi would go a long way in empowering Muslim women," says a young Subhana, one of the applicants. "We can do justice to our women in matters related to 'nikah', 'talaq' and property disputes," she added.
However, the journey of these women to qazihood might not be an easy amble. Already, there are voices of protest, with Muslim clerics opposing the very idea tooth and nail.
"At the most, a woman can assist a male qazi in solemnising a marriage, but cannot be the sole qazi solemnising a marriage. It is not Islamically possible," says All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) member Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali.
Lucknow's 'shahar qazi' Maulana Abul Irfan does not reject the idea straightaway but has his reservations. "There are many jobs that a woman cannot perform. The qazi's job required 24 hour availability. Can a woman do it?" he asks.
But, AISMC general secretary Haji Mohammad Jalees says there is no hitch in women becoming qazis. "It they are qualified and have the requisite training, there is no reason why women should be denied 'qaziyat'," he asserts.
Under the Qazi Act of 1880, the government appoints a qazi. But, many qazis function without any official sanctity as their decisions are honoured by the local communities.
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