Qazi literally means a judge. He sorts out disputes in the light of Sharia or Islamic law, though the authority and acceptability of this institution remains a matter of dispute. Members of the community are not bound by the qazi's verdict and are free to approach the courts.
For the first time, two women have been appointed as 'qazi' in Uttar Pradesh which boasts a sizeable (over 20 per cent) Muslim population. One of them is from the Sunni sect while the other is a Shia, a sect which constitutes the minority within the Muslims.
Even before the womenfolk in the minority community could begin to rejoice, clerics of both the sects have refused to acknowledge the authority of the newly-appointed qazis, saying there is no room for women "to sit in judgment over men" in the Islamic faith.
Qazi literally means a judge. He sorts out disputes in the light of Sharia or Islamic law, though the authority and acceptability of this institution remains a matter of dispute. Members of the community are not bound by the qazi's verdict and are free to approach the courts.
The appointment of Dr Hina Zaheer Naqvi, a Ph. D., and Maria Fazal, a science graduate and 'aalim' (religious scholar), was announced at a function organized by the All India Muslim Women's Board in Kanpur.
"Women qazis can help alleviate the rigours of Muslim women," Dr Naqvi said soon after her appointment. "We can understand the plight of women much better and help them, especially in matters related to domestic violence, harassment and talaq," said Maria. Both assert that Islam does not discriminate between man and woman in matters of education and knowledge.
However, Muslim clerics are already fuming, saying women can't be appointed qazis. "It's a job which requires service with purity 30 days a month, which a woman will never be able to do," says veteran Sunni cleric Maula Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali. "Qazis were appointed during British times. They have lost their relevance. In any case, women can never be appointed qazis. Islam does not allow this," said Shia cleric Kalbe Jawad.
However, the world-renowned Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, Deoband, said in a recent statement: "Women can be qazis as it is a matter of knowledge and expertise."
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