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Scholar Heckled - Islamic feminist booed at public meeting - Mid-day

Dr Riffat Hassan ()
13 September 1996

Title : Scholar Heckled
Islamic feminist booed at public meeting
Author : Dr Riffat Hassan
Publication : Mid-day
Date : September 13, 1996

Chaos and heckling marred a public meeting with feminist
and Islamic scholar Dr Riffat Hassan organised by
Commu-
nalism Combat and the Women's Research Action
Group
(WRAG), at the Indian Merchants' Chamber (IMC)
yesterday.

The question-answer session following Hassan's talk on 'A
Feminist Interpretation of the Koran' took a dramatic
turn when Hassan began to answer questions from one of
the panel of experts and commented that she had spoken
about subjects not in the topic.

Four or five people from the audience began to shout and
insist that it was Hassan who had spoken out of context.
Chairperson Zeenat Shaukat Ali found it difficult to
control the audience after this, though she insisted that
no one was being forced to accept Hassan's views.

Some men sitting in the back rows began to comment
and
laugh loudly when Hassan was answering the many
questions
she was being bombarded with. Other people tried to
pacify the trouble-makers, saying, "We are convinced by
her argument." However, the disturbance continued.

Shaukat Ali tried once again to quieten the audience,
pointing out that Hassan was a guest who had been invited
to speak, and deserved respect. Two youths objected,
saying, "So what if she is a guest? Guests cannot come
and say anything at all."

Meanwhile, another man from the audience questioned
Hassan about the verse in the Koran which talks about
inheritance to women at the time of distribution of
family wealth. Hassan read out the verse and gave her
interpretation of the subject. However, the man was by
then talking to somebody next to him, and both began to
laugh.

The questioner then began to contradict Hassan, and she
was defended by another man from the audience. This
man
was however yelled at by two men who even asked him if
he
was a muslim. When he said he was not, he was asked
to
remain silent.

Teesta Setalvad of Communalism Combat then intervened
and
Shaukat AH hurriedly ended the commotion with a small
talk in which she assured the disgruntled members of the
audience that Hassan was in India only for a short period
and she would be invited again to another talk. where
they could interact with her.

During the discussion, when asked how it is that the
easiest weapon to attack women has always been religion,
Hassan replied, "At the heart of all great religions,
there is justice. But religion has been misused. Moreo-
ver, most of the world's important religions are pa-
triarchal. We have to get religion out of the hands of
men. Women have to he made aware of their rights. They
have to take religion into their hands."

Speaking to MID-DAY later about the situation of women in

Pakistan, Hassan said, "It is bid everywhere. However,
in Pakistan the feudal attitude (the husband as the
'lord') prevails. Even in spite of the leadership of a
woman, Benazir Bhutto, the situation remains the same.
She also has a feudal attitude. Illiteracy in the rural
areas in Pakistan is less than three per cent. Now they
say it has become 29 per cent, but I doubt it. However,
in most Islamic countries like Iran, there is an awaken-
ing among women, they are talking about dowry, inherit-
ance etc."


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