THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN ISLAM

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN ISLAM An Interview with Ms Fahmida Khan M S FAHMIDA KHAN (b. 1964) is a senior CPS member. She conducts weekly online lectures in Urdu. Her lectures are focussed on the learnings from Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and are broadcast on Facebook Live. She plays an active role in the group comprising of women members of CPS. From a homemaker busy in mundane affairs to a life of a missionary spreading the peaceful message of Islam, her journey has been truly inspiring. She lives in Faizabad. Dr Safeena Tabassum interviewed her so that we could get the details of this amazing journey in her own words. Dr Safeena Tabassum is an ophthalmologist. She completed MBBS and MS (ophthalmology) from Aligarh Muslim University. She joined CPS International in 2007. Presently, she is moderating the CPS Ladies Group on WhatsApp that was started by Fahmida Aapa. Let’s start with your childhood. What was the environment in which you were brought up? I mean what role women were expected to play in the family or society? There was no particular thrust on educating women. Performing the household chores, rearing the children formed the responsibility of a woman. Women could somehow pursue higher studies, but when it came to their participation in the sphere of religion, they were considered unfit. For centuries, the contribution of women in Muslim societies especially with regard to their participation in the field of religion was almost zero. It was aapa (Dr Farida Khanam) who played an important role in my life. She unveiled the true status of women in Islam. Trained and guided by her father Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, aapa has been playing her part in communicating the message of Islam. Maulana has written books on this topic such as Woman in Islamic Shariah and Woman between Islam and Western Society. After reading these books, I have come to realize the role women can play in family and society. Countless women have now realized their role in the sphere of religion. They are now associating themselves with the CPS mission.