Hunger melts all boundaries. At times it redirects the traditions, sometimes redefines century old beliefs and also at times set up new traditions.
For many it was heart warming. They took it as sign of empowerment of women from minorities when they witnessed around a thousand minority women – mostly Muslims –busting boundaries of traditions coming out in public and participating in the minorities march organised by JVM’s minority front on Wednesday in State capital.
But the truth is different from the perception. Many of the representatives of the minority communities (that those women belonged to) say that it is not a sign of empowerment but a sight of women propelled beyond their boundaries by poverty.
“If you ask me politically, I will say this is empowerment. But the fact of the matter is they are poverty ridden women who have no option but to go beyond boundaries. This is not allowed in sharia. But the practicality is different. We have to hit the road if we have got to survive amidst skyrocketing prices of everything,” said Khwaja Shabuddin, spokesperson of JVM’s Minority front.
Though there is no concrete data as to by what percentage the participation of minorities in general and Muslim women in particular have increased in last few years but there is an increasing trend for sure. More and more minority women including Muslim women are participating in various political processes.
They are coming out to vote they are also becoming candidates in elections. But for Husana Ara, ex-ward councillor of ward number four, this phenomenon exhibits the poverty of the community.
“They are coming in politics because of their poverty. For me also it was not easy for coming out of home and be a candidate in ward elections. But I had to. Only thing that I am ensuring now is that I do not end up doing thing that betrays our traditions,” she said.
There is also a sense of disenchantment among the minorities with all the political parties in the State. Because invariably all parties have given them “nothing but promises”. The promises that were never fulfilled!
“The disenchantment with political parties combined with their poverty is forcing them out of their homes. They are desperate to take any opportunity that they believe would bring them in social live and open up some avenue of income,” said Ajam Ahmed, the chairperson of Jharkhand Qaumi Tahreek.
According to Ajam there is also a sense of urgency prevailing among the minority women, of late to catch up with the world getting modern every day. “They are now concerned about the education of their children. They are also desperate to maintain lifestyle with luxury of freezes, fans, vans and ACs. This requires money. And they are desperate to garb any and all opportunities,” he said.