First Person: Willing to pick up burning coals

With the Allahabad High Court asserting that triple talaq violates the rights of Muslim women the reformist movement gets more ballast It is a significant victory in a year which has seen us fight on so many fronts chipping away at patriarchal mindsets striving to change the paradigm so to speak of Muslim womenrsquos rights in IndiaEarlier this year we started a forum called lsquoMuslim men against Triple Talaqrsquo and in just 24 hours we had 250 signatures from men across the country Using that as a barometer we could sense the anger and need for change within the community The past few months have been remarkable in every way for the reformist struggle in the Muslim communityWe launched a very successful Haji Ali struggle Then secular liberals spoke up when the Zakir Naik problem arose Naik represents a fanatical supremacist ideology and we held a public meeting denouncing it It was a tense atmosphere as a lot of Muslims were very emotional and believed Naik was being persecuted Yet we spoke out in favour of secular liberal thought even in that simmering cauldron of proNaik sentimentWe also stand on the brink of launching a national forum called lsquoIndian Muslims for Secular Democracyrsquo in midDecemberWe have worked closely with Muslim womenrsquos groups through different struggles and also used social media to get more youngsters involved in gender justice efforts within the community There have been so many debates some in the public forum and others in private gatherings homes get togethers which proves that people are really rethinking and talking about aspects within There have been debates about triple talaq polygamy and halala at various levels People have become brave enough to pick up these burning coals These are the coals that they would even refrain from merely touching beforeThere were divides even within the orthodox conservative groups in Islam This is because people realised that triple talaq is simply atrocious Brothers and fathers have seen their sisters and daughters suffer because of triple talaq Men come with their daughters who have been victims of triple talaq to lawyers they have felt the pain and seen the sadness the injustice that triple talaq brings aboutThe reformist movement is gathering traction within the Muslim middle class forming divides within How can we forget that there is a break within the Dawoodi Bohra community with reference to Female Genital Mutilation FGM too This year we have seen strong protests against FGM Most heartening is the fact that most of these movements have been led by Muslim women Let us remember that it is their struggle They have been supported by sensible men of all communities but in the end this is their fight and they need to lead from the front for thisWhat we are asking now is that people take a categorical position when it comes to equitable gender rights these should be nonnegotiable Everybody will have to take a position Earlier we had seen the secular too running away from powder keg problems or pandering at times to extremist views though they believed quite the opposite but may have been afraid to say so No longer is this possible or feasible because Muslim womenrsquos rights are becoming part of the national narrative and these are going to continue simmering becoming an election issue in 2019There is going to be so much more in the next year The battle is relentless but we are heartened by milestones which I like to call lsquosmilestonesrsquo like the Allahabad High Courtrsquos observation We will rest a bit on these lsquosmilestonesrsquo but we must continue because they are not enough The end will come when triple talaq and other laws that discriminate against women are banned by an Act of ParliamentTill then I like other gender justice activists can only sayThe woods are lovely dark and deepBut I have promises to keepAnd miles to go before I sleepAnd miles to go before I sleeprdquoFeroze Mithiborwala is a Mumbaibased gender justice activist and founder of the Haji Ali Sab Ke Liye movementAs told to Hemal Ashar