Haseena Faras knows how to fight the rabid communalists in Islam – the reactionary and conservative ‘Maulvis’. Her election as Mayor of Kolhapur in Maharashtra is a big slap on the face of reactionary and conservative Maulvis who have all along been opposing equal rights to Muslim women in society. Now Haseena has emerged as a source of inspiration for Muslim women.
In fact, Maulanas and Maulvis along with some conservative women were opposing Haseena for contesting the local body elections in Kolhapur. Their argument was that women entering the election arena was against the tenets of Islam. I wonder if the so called ‘thekedars’ of Islam forget that Benazir Bhutto, a woman was Prime Minister of Pakistan and Sheikh Hasina is currently Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
The Maulvis had issued a ‘fatwa’ barring women from contesting civic body polls in Kolhapur. Despite that 19 Muslim women entered the fray and five of them won the elections. This is broad indication that women in Muslim society are no longer ready to live in the dark age of religious sanctions.
Haseena Faras refused to live behind the veil of religion by rejecting the fatwa of Maulvis. But her real fight begins now. She has to bring in more and more women from her religion to the mainstream of social life. She has to encourage women to become equal partners in life with men and fight for their fundamental rights to which they are entitled as per our Constitutional provisions.
Life is becoming increasingly difficult for Muslim women under the practice of triple talaq and practice of ‘halal’. She is fully aware and knows it well that in a changing world where social reforms are taking place, women cannot lag behind the changes in society for the better. The problem is that Muslim society appears to be not ready to reform and change.
In Muslim society in India, there is no scope for debate and discourse. Anyone trying to advance the cause of reforms in society is ridiculed by religious leaders. His leg is pulled or even broken for talking about reforms. It is increasingly becoming clear now that the advocates of triple talaq in Islam are not prepared to listen to any argument against the practice. Nobody dares to raise a voice against such  social practices in Muslim society for fear of reprisal by 
hardcore Muslims. Such conservative Muslims on the other hand want that their women folk should remain where they are and should live and die within the confines of their homes.
It is high time that moderate and modern men in Muslim society who want to support progress and development should come out on the streets and support whole heartedly women like Haseena Faras. Women in Muslim society are far less independent socially and economically compared to other women in the country. They are totally dependent on men. Perhaps it is because of this that they live in a suffocated atmosphere. They are less educated. Wars that cannot be won with guns and swords can be won by learning and education. According to official statistics, more than 60 per cent Muslim women are deprived of any education and only 10 per cent women are lucky enough to get higher education.
A novel by Abdul Bismillah titled “ Jhini Jhini Bini Chunaria” gives an insight into the plight of Muslim women in North India. The writer has described the condition of a wage-earning Muslim family where women are second and third rate members.  A woman character in the novel says, “what is the role of a woman – cook food, sleep on bed with husband, give birth to children and serve the man as bonded labourer. If you fail in your duty or in the estimation of your husband then face..talaq talaq talaq”.  A Muslim friend of mine says even “Allah does not like talaq”.

(The writer is a BJP Member of the Rajya Sabha and Chairman, Hindusthan Samachar.)