From housewife to community leader

Noorjahan Diwan, 40, Gujarat BMMA convener

“I stepped out of the parda (veil) over a year-and-a-half ago. After this my husband did not speak to me for six months. But I am happy that I took that decision,” says Noorjhan Diwan.

She represents the state of Gujarat in a national coalition of Muslim women in India, Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA). The platform was formed over a year ago and has seen Muslim women unite to demand rights and entitlements that have been denied to them.

Noor (meaning the divine glow) had been a housewife for a large part of her married life, but the communal strife in Gujarat (2002) changed everything for her family, like it did for thousands of other Muslim families.

“My decision to move out was a choice imposed by economic hardships that we had been facing,” says the mother of three, living in Juhapura settlement near Ahmedabad.

“My husband has a beard that is part of his identity, but it is an easy give away of who we are. He could not find a job as the communities were bitter about each other,” she adds.

Her story of moving from being a housewife to a confident community leader is synonymous with the emergence of BMMA across India. ActionAid is a founding member of the grouping, which boasts a membership over 6000 Muslim women activists and a number of community organizations working on issues of education and livelihood issues.

Her stands on womens’ issues are tempered with rights-based expressions. “People can only demand when they are aware of what they should be getting as their rights,” she adds.

“Pregnant women, listed Below Poverty Line, are entitled to free check-ups and delivery, but Muslim women end-up being neglected. Civic amenities are appalling. Banks do not offer loans to us, we will fight for all of these,” she adds with a sense of mission.