Perspectives on the Status of Muslim Women in India Prospects and Challenges

Name of Author : Shakeel Ahmad Wani & Sayed Aaqib Qadri

Abstract:  In modern India, the socio-economic status of women in Muslim communities, along with their political participation ratio and the need for legal reform, has raised serious apprehensions and demand immediate attention. Government reports suggest that Muslim women are among the poorest, educationally disenfranchised, economically vulnerable, politically marginalized groups in the country. In India, the contemporary womens movement has been fighting for womens rights since the mid-1970s and has highlighted issues related to violence against women, employment, and political participation. In many cases, the womens movement has come up against religious groups in their struggle to ensure gender equality, the most notable instance being the Shah Bano case during the 1980s. This case brought out the complications of attempting to represent women in a diverse and highly stratified society where religious minorities were increasingly becoming the targets of political and physical assaults at the hands of the Hindu Right.

Keywords : India, Muslim, women, Minority, Rights

DOI :