Taking another step towards women’s empowerment, India will have its first batch of women Qazi (Islamic judges) who will be breaking into the field which was considered exclusive for men. These judges have the authority to solemnise the nikah (marriage) and validate the talaq (divorce). They also qualify to oversee the khula (legal separation initiated by the wife) and assess the Mehr (money given to the bride by her in-laws).
“I’ve placed an order for my very own seal, complete with a registration number. People in my neighbourhood have reacted positively to my decision to become a Qazi. Even the imam of the local Jama Masjid wished me well,” said 28-year-old Jamila Laskar, a resident of Howrah, reported Hindustan Times.
While Hakima Khatun, who has two children said. “Absolute male dominance among Qazis is one of the major reasons for males allowing arbitrary talaqs. A woman Kazi would ensure that wives benefit from the equal rights accorded to them by the Quran,” the 40-year-old woman added.
Laskar and Khatun are among the 15 women who graduated from the Mumbai-based Darul Uloom Niswan (DUN), an Islamic centre of learning, in April. Thirty women from various states had enrolled in the first-of-its-kind course in 2015, reported Hindustan Times.
Although the journey of breaking the gender stereotypes have been slow, but steady. In 2016, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan got its first women Qazis.
