Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women

Transcription

1 Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women An Annotated Bibliography & Research Guide by Tahera Aftab BRILL LEIDEN BOSTON 2008

2 CONTENTS Abbreviations List of transliterations Acknowledgments Introduction xix xxi xxiii xxv SECTION ONE SELECTED SOURCES FOR THE STUDY OF SOUTH ASIAN MUSLIM WOMEN A. South Asia an Introduction 1 I. Locating People and Spaces 1 (a) General Studies on South Asia 1 (b) Selected Studies on Islam in South Asia 3 (c) Encyclopaedias of Islam 5 (d) Encyclopaedias of Muslim Women 6 (e) Dictionaries of Islam 6 (f) Qur'an/Hadith/ and Traditions of Prophet Muhammad 7 II. Bibliographies and Research Guides for the Study of South Asian Muslim Women 8 III. Bibliographic Review Essays 15 IV Catalogues of Library Holdings 16 V Biographical Compendiums of Prominent Muslim Women 18 VI. Invisibility of Muslim Women in Research Studies 19 B. Women's Status in Religious Texts 22 I. Women's Status in the Qur'an 22 II. Rejecting Patriarchal Reading of the Qur'an 27 III. Status of Women in the Hadith 30 IV Role Models for Muslim Women: Prophet's Wives and Daughters 33

3 Vlll CONTENTS SECTION TWO MUSLIM WOMEN IN THE HISTORY OF SOUTH ASIA A. Women in Medieval India 35 I. General Studies 35 II. Radiyyah Sultan or Raziyat al-dunya wal-din (r ) 36 III. Cand Bibi of the Nizam Shahl Kingdom (b ) and Other Women in Power in the Deccan 38 B. Women in the Age of the Mughals ( ) 41 I. General Studies 41 II. Gulbadan Bano Begam (1522/3-1603), Daughter of Babur, Emperor of Hindustan ( ) 49 III. Nur Jahan Begam (d. 1645), wife of Emperor Jahangir (b d. 1627) 50 IV Mumtaz Mahal ( ), Wife of Emperor Shah Jahan (b d. 1666) 55 V Jahan Ara Begam (b d. 1681), Daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan 56 VI. Zeb-un Nisa' Begam ( ) Daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb, (b d. 1707) 57 C. Mughal Women as Patrons of Art and Architecture 59 D. Muslim Women from the 18th to the Early 20th Century India 62 I. The Kingdom of Awadh ( ) 62 II. Muslim Women in the Kingdom of Bengal 68 III. A dynasty of women rulers: The Begams of Bhopal (a) General works 70 (b) Nawwab Qudsiyah Begam (Period of Regency ) 71 (c) Nawwab Sikandar Begam (Regency ) (d) Nawwab Shahjahan Begam (b d. 1901) 72 (e) Nawwab Sultan Jahan Begam (b d. 1930) IV Begam Samroo (also spelt as Sombre/Samru) ( ) of Sardhana 79 V Women in Hyderabad, Deccan 82

4 CONTENTS IX E. Muslim Women's Encounter with the West 85 I. Women and the First War of Independence, II. Women under the British Colonial Regime 86 III. Muslim Women in the Narratives of the Christian Missions 91 SECTION THREE ISLAMIC TRADITIONS, MUSLIM WOMEN AND THE REFORM MOVEMENT A. Women in the Discourse of the sufis and the masha'ikh 99 I. Women sufis 102 II. Women's Image in Sufi Literature 112 III. Women in the Reformist (islahi) Traditions in the 18th and the 19th Centuries 113 (a) Women, shari'at and the bid'at Discourse 113 (b) Patriarchal Construction of Muslim Women 115 B. Modernist Reform Movements and Women's Issues 118 I. Men in Support of Women's Rights 118 (a) Making Connections: Role Models from Other Muslim Societies 120 (b) South Asian Muslim Women Compared With Women in Other Regions 123 II. Ideal Muslim Woman Denned 125 (a) Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's ( ) 'Model Muslim Woman' 125 (b) Syed Ameer Ali ( ) 126 (c) Saiyyid Mumtaz Ali and huquq un-niswdn ( ) 127 (d) Rashidul Khairi ( ) 128 III. Muslim Woman in the New Muslim Consciousness (a) The Bihishti ewar of Ashraf 'All Thanawi ( ) 129 (b) Abul Kalam Azad's Views on the Status of Women 132 (c) Dr. Muhammad Iqbal ( ) 133 IV Women Claiming their Rights 134

5 X CONTENTS SECTION FOUR PAKDAH MUSLIM WOMEN IN/OUT OF SECLUSION A. Discourse on the Interpretation of the Qur'anic Verses on hijab 137 B. Fatdwd and Male Religious Opinions on VeiYvng/pardah 138 I. Male supporters of pardah 143 II. Men who opposed the pardah 145 C. Women Challenging pardah Restrictions 148 I. Women in Support of pardah 151 D. PanM's Impact on Women's Lives 151 E. Burqd' 161 F. Life Inside Pardah Households Observing 162 SECTION FIVE RELIGIOUS PRACTICES A. Fatdwd: Male Authority and Women's Status 166 I. Resisting the Use of Fatdwd against Women 169 B. Prohibition on Women's Presence in the Mosque and Shrines 171 C. Women's Prayer (salat) 172 I. Women and 'Id Prayers 174 II. Shrine Visitation and Women 175 D. Women and Religious Practices 177 I. Mildd ndmey/mildd Tracts for Women and by Women 181 II. Mildd or Maulud sharif. Celebrations of Prophet Muhammad's Noble Birth 182 III. Mildd as bid'at (Heresy) 184 E. Hajj and Women Pilgrims: Early Pilgrimage Accounts (Medieval India) 184 I. Pilgrimage in the Nineteenth Century 185 II. Pilgrimage in the Twentieth Century 187 F. Women's Travelogues: Women out of pardah 187

6 CONTENTS XI SECTION SIX IN SEARCH OF THEIR IDENTITY: MUSLIM WOMEN SETTING NEW GOALS A. Perspectives on Women's Roles 189 I. The Status of Muslim Women Compared to that of Women of Other Faiths 192 II. Women and Activism: Movement for Social and Political Change 193 (a) General Works 193 (b) The Suffrage Movement, 197 B. Muslim Women Making Connections 201 I. In support of the Ladies Conference 201 II. Against the Ladies Conference 204 III. History of the All India Muslim Ladies' Conference IV The All India Ladies Association 208 V Women's Associations in Hyderabad, Deccan 209 VI. The All India Women's Conference 211 VII. Muslim Women in the National Reformist Movement 212 (a) Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain ( ) 212 (b) Sughra Humayun Mirza ( ) 215 (c) Fyzee Sisters 217 C. Women's Role in the Pakistan Movement 218 D. Freedom/Partition: Women's Experiences 223 I. Women Freedom Fighters 226 (a) Abadi Banu Begam (Bi Amman) ( ) 226 (b) Begam Muhammad Ali (Amjadi Begam) 228 (c) Begam Hasrat Mohan! (Nishatunnisa) ( ) 229 (d) Fatimah Jinnah ( ) 230 (e) Ruttie Jinnah (-d. 1929) 232

7 Xll CONTENTS SECTION SEVEN WOMEN, NATIONALISM, AND RELIGION A. Muslim women in Pakistan: An Overview 233 I. Punjabi Women 240 II. Sindhi Women 241 III. Pashtun Women 244 IV Baloch Women 247 V Women of Hunza/Gilgit/Chitral 249 B. Women in Bangladesh: An Overview 251 C. Muslim Women in India: An Overview 255 D. Women, State and Religious Authority: Post-independence South Asia 256 I. The Case of Pakistan 257 II. The Case of Bangladesh 259 III. The Case of India 261 E. Women and Political Representation 263 I. Discourse on Women's Political Leadership 266 (a) Benazir Bhutto 267 F. The Martial Law ( ) in Pakistan: Islam Reinterpreted for Women 268 I. The Hudood (Hudud) Ordinance 278 II. Post-martial Law Gender-identity Construction 276 G. Religious Activism of Women Converts to Islam 277 I. Maryam Jameelah [Margaret Marcus] (1936-) 277 SECTION EIGHT MUSLIM WOMEN'S MOVEMENTS IN SOUTH ASIA A. Women's Movement in Pakistan 279 B. Women's Movement in Bangladesh 281 C. Muslim Women's Movement in India 284 D. Muslim Women in Sri Lanka 290 E. Women's Movement in The Maldives 292

8 CONTENTS Xlll SECTION NINE THE LIFE CYCLE OF SOUTH ASIAN MUSLIM WOMEN A. Daughters Not Liked 293 I. Son Preference 294 II. Adolescent Girls 297 (a) Menstruation 305 (b) Clitorodectomy: Female Circumcision 308 B. Marriage and Family Life 309 I. Child Marriages 309 II. Age at Marriage 310 III. Nikah: Marriage in Islam 312 IV Selection of Spouses 313 V Role of wall (Guardian) in a Marriage Contract 313 C. Wife-husband Relationship 315 I. Male-female Attitude Towards Family Life 316 II. Manuals for Household Management 317 D. Marriage Patterns in South Asia 318 I. Arranged Marriages 320 II. Consanguineous Marriages 321 III. Endogamous Marriages 322 IV Matrilineal Customs 324 V Muslim Women Marrying Christian Men 324 VI. Polygamy 325 VII. Muta'h: Temporary Marriages 328 E. Wedding Ceremonies and Celebrations 329 I. Dowry 332 F. Pregnancy and Childbirth 334 I. Motherhood/Childcare 336 II. Breastfeeding 337 G. End of Marriage: Widowhood, Remarriage of Widows and Divorce 339 I. Idda Waiting Period 339 II. Dissolution of Marriage: taldq (Divorce) 341 III. Triple taldq 344 IV Talaq-i-tafwid (delegation Power of Divorce) 345 V Mul'(khula) 346 VI. Apostasy (irtiddd) for Dissolution (tansikh-i-nikdh) of Marriage 348

9 XIV CONTENTS H. Mahr. Dower 352 I. Payment of mahr and Maintenance for Divorced Women 354 II. Legal Battles over Payment of Maintenance (nafaqah): The Shah Bano Case 354 SECTION TEN WOMEN'S RIGHTS TO INHERIT PROPERTY A. Inheritance Rights of Muslim Women Misappropriated 358 I. Customary Law (riwdj-i 'dm) and Women 361 II. Legal Services for Women: Access to Lawyers and Courts of Law 364 B. Muslim Family Law in South Asia 367 I. The Family Laws in Pakistan 368 II. Uniform Civil Code in India: A Panacea for Muslim Women's Plight? 374 III. Legal Reforms in Bangladesh 379 IV Islamic Laws and Women in Sri Lanka 380 SECTION ELEVEN EDUCATION OF SOUTH ASIAN MUSLIM WOMEN A. General Works on the History of Women's Education 382 B. Beginning of Women's New System of Education: Local Enterprise and Colonial Efforts 383 I. Promotional Tracts for Female Education 383 II. Tracts against Women's Education 387 C. Supporters of Women's Education (hdmi-yi td'lim-i niswdn) I. Khawajah Altaf Husain Hall ( ) 388 II. Shamsul 'Ulama MaulawT Nadhlr (also spelt as Nazir) Ahmad, ( ) 389 D. Those Who Opposed School Education for Women 390 I. Sir Syed [also spelt as Saiyyid] Ahmed Khan 390 II. Other Prominent Opposition 394

10 CONTENTS XV E. Support for Women's Education in the Early 20th Century 394 I. Male Founders of Schools for Women 397 (a) Shaikh 'Abdullah ( ) 397 (b) Maulana Karamat Husain ( ) 399 II. Female Founders of Schools for Women 399 (a) Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain ( ) 399 (b) Nawwab Sultan Jahan Begam 400 F. Nineteenth Century Muslim Women Reading and Teaching 401 I. New School Education for Girls 404 II. Western Women and Muslim Women's Education G. Women's Education: in Post-1947 South Asia 407 I. Women's Education in Pakistan 407 II. Women's Education in Bangladesh 411 III. Women's Education in India 413 H. Medical education for women 414 I. Beginning of Medical Education in the 19th Century 414 II. Early Medical Texts and Literature for Women 418 III. Early Hospitals for Women 419 IV. Women and the Nursing Profession: the Current Scene 420 V Traditional Birth Attendants (ddi's) 422 SECTION TWELVE SOUTH ASIAN MUSLIM WOMEN'S HEALTH A. Women's Physical Health Status 425 I. Women with Disabilities 426 II. Mental Health Status 427 III. Nutrition for Women 429 IV Health Care for Women 429 V Gender Bias in Female Healthcare 431 VI. Maternal and Infant Health 433 B. Reproductive Health and Women's Choices 434 I. Birth Spacing 436 II. Use of Contraceptives and Women's Reproductive Health 437 III. Religious Opinion and Birth Control 443

11 XVI CONTENTS IV Abortion 445 V Women's Fertility: Effects Caused by Education 447 (a) Fertility and Employment 449 (b) Fertility and Women's Labour Force Participation 450 (c) Female Fertility Trends in South Asia 451 (d) Socio-economic Determinants of Fertility 456 (e) Fertility and Family Planning Programmes 458 (f) Attitudes towards Family Planning 463 (g) Fertility Decline 464 SECTION THIRTEEN PERSPECTIVES ON SOUTH ASIAN WOMEN'S DEVELOPMENT A. Women and Development in Pakistan 446 I. Rural Women and Development in Pakistan 468 II. Urban Women in Pakistan 472 B. Women and Development in Bangladesh 472 I. Rural Women and Development in Bangladesh 476 II. Urban Women in Bangladesh 482 C. Economic Status of Women 483 I. Texts on Women and Works Written in the 19th Century 483 II. Muslim Women and Poverty in South Asia 484 III. Women and Work in Bangladesh 486 IV Rural Credit Programmes/Grameen Bank in Bangladesh 492 V Women and Work in Pakistan 494 VI. Women, and Banking in Pakistan 501 VII. Muslim Women and Work in India 501 VIII. Women's Self Employment 502 XI. Women and Handicrafts 503

12 CONTENTS XV11 SECTION FOURTEEN THE ARTS AND DESIGN A. Women and literature 506 I. Women's Language 506 II. Men Impersonating Women's Voices: rekhti (rexti) 508 III. Urdu Periodicals for Women 509 IV Women in the Folk Tales 510 V Women's Images in Literature: ddstdn 512 VI. Women's Portrayal in Contemporary South Asian Writings 512 VII. Novels and Short Stories of Muslim Women Writers 514 VIII. Women Poets 521 (a) MahLaqaBa'iCanda ( ) 521 (b) Zahida Khatun Sharwam (1894-?) 523 (c) General Studies on Women Poets 524 (d) Contemporary Poets 526 IX. Autobiographies by Women 528 X. Biased Images of Women in Textbooks 530 B. Women and Love in Urdu Literature 530 I. Love and Pain 530 II. Same-sex Relations: Reflections from Urdu Writings 531 C. Women and Arts and Design 534 I. Women Painters 534 II. Women Calligraphists 536 D. Music/Dance 537 E. Women's Textile and Jewellery 538 F. Film and Media 540 SECTION FIFTEEN CHALLENGES, THREATS, AND THE RESPONSES OF WOMAN A. Violence against Women 544 I. Rape Crimes 550 II. Trafficking of Women 554 III. Karo-Kari: Murdering Women for 'Honour' 555

13 XV111 CONTENTS B. Women, War and Conflict 557 C. Prostitution 557 D. Crimes by Women 564 I. Criminal Justice System and Women 565 E. Women's Responses: Non-government Organizations 567 I. All Pakistan Women's Association 572 SECTION SIXTEEN FEMINISM, NEW SCHOLARSHIP AND NEW TOOLS FOR DEVELOPMENT A. Early Voices of Feminism 575 B. Feminism in the 20th Century 576 I. Taslima Nasrin A Feminist? 579 C. Patriarchy Today 581 D. New Scholarship for Women 582 E. Women Teaching/Learning Islam 584 Subject Index 589 Author Index 599