When Muslim Women Rejected Polygamy In 1920
By
Saquib Salim
16-05-2022
Begum
Jahanara, Begum Getiara, Begum Waheed, Zakiya Sultana, Asghari Khanum, Aziz
Fatima, And Other Women Who Were At The Forefront Of This Conference Proved To
The World And Coming Generations That The Indian Muslim Women Could Speak For
Themselves
Begum Shahnawaz
----
“Do not marry your sisters, daughters, and
other relations to men as their second wives or to those who are inclined on
marrying another woman for no reason.”
Hundreds of
Muslim women unanimously passed the above resolution moved by Begum Jahanara
Shahnawaz at the 7th All India Muslim Ladies Conference in 1920.
The All
India Muslim Ladies Conference was established in 1914 under the Presidentship
of Begum Sultan Jahan, the ruler of Bhopal, and the leadership of women like
Begum Waheed, Abru Begum, and Begum Shafi to bring social, educational, and
economic reforms among Muslim women. Within six years of its inception
membership of the Conference increased from a few dozens to hundreds. These
women raised money to open and maintain girls' schools in different parts of
India and formed a public opinion in support of education.
By 1920,
younger women were bringing more revolutionary ideas to the conference than the
old guards. These women started challenging the existing social evils in Muslim
society.
Jahanara Shahnawaz who was one of those young
women moved a resolution where she asked the Conference to propagate against
polygamy as an un-Islamic practice. Her argument that the practice of polygamy
in Indian Muslim society was not within the parameters set by the Quran
received unequivocal support from the hundreds of women present there. These
women who represented almost every region of India agreed that polygamy, as
being practiced by Indian Muslims, was not prescribed by Islam.
Emboldened
by the success of this resolution, Jahanara moved yet another and more radical
resolution. It asked the Conference:
To keep passing resolutions against polygamy
till it was removed from the Indian Muslim society.
Not to
marry their sisters, daughters, and other female relations as second wives or
to men who could marry another time.
To take an
oath that all members would work towards forming public opinion against
polygamy.
The
resolution was passed in its original form and thus started a new struggle of
Indian Muslim women for rights.
It must be
noted here that Begum Jahanara was the woman behind getting voting rights for
Indian women. She actively campaigned for voting rights for women. The debate
on women voting rights was settled during the Round Table Conferences and
subsequently won through the Government of India Act, 1935. It must be noted
that “Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz was one of the two women representatives at the
First Round Table Conference(RTC), one of the three women representatives at
the Second RTC, and the only women at the Third RTC. Later on, when the Joint
Select Committee was formed to finalize the Government of India Act, 1935,
Jahanara was the only woman member of it.”
Begum
Jahanara, Begum Getiara, Begum Waheed, Zakiya Sultana, Asghari Khanum, Aziz
Fatima, and other women who were at the forefront of this conference proved to
the world and coming generations that the Indian Muslim Women could speak for
themselves.
Source: Awaz, the Voice
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/muslim-women-polygamy-1920/d/127016
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