The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Muslim scholars of the contemporary world have a positive view of women's rights and adherence to the tenets of Islam would help establish those, a seminar was told by speakers in the city yesterday.

The seminar was organised by The Witness and the Assembly for Protection of Hijab, Bangladesh to mark the International Women's Day at the Jatiya Press Club.

The speakers said that as a very progressive religion Islam liberated the humanity from various forms of oppression, and this included the liberation of women.

Dr Syeda Sultana Razia, presented a paper on 'Freedom of Women in the 21st century' at the seminar presided over by Dr Meera Momtaz Sabeka. Former secretary to the government Hannah Abdul Shah, former DG, Bangladesh Shishu Academy Zubaida Gulshan Ara, editor of the New Nation, Mostafa Kamal Majumder were special guests at the function. Shahnaj Hamid, Mahbuba Rahman, Sardar Farid Ahmed and Kaniz Fatima took part in the discussion.

In her paper Syeda Sultana Razia drew a historical background to the movement for women's rights and said that the economically weak people mostly run the risk of being deprived of their rights. This applied more to women who are considered weak physically and mentally. The worldwide movement for empowerment of women thus basically called for making women economically self-reliant so that they acquire the ability and the power to take decisions independently.

She said that opposition to the movement for the establishment of women's rights in the Indian Sub-continent came from not political organisations but religious and social practices. Thus the liberation of women here was slow. Women's progress would get a boost in the present century of globalisation and satellite communication which has both good and bad aspects. The mass media alongside the social infrastructure would play an important role in settling the women's position in society in this era, she said.

Shah Abdul Hannan emphasised the need for viewing the case of women's liberation from the perspective of liberation of the humanity from oppression. As human beings women should have their rights, more so as mothers.

He cautioned against a reported move to amend the Muslim family law and urged the government to refrain from making such attempts that might had far reaching adverse consequences.

Zubaida Gulshan Ara said that women should establish their rights not by physical force but through the use of wisdom using which they should carry men along. She called for proper awareness about rights at a time when global powers were carrying out large-scale destruction in one part of the planet on the plea of the establishment of peace.

Mostafa Kamal Majumder underscored the need for having a comparative analysis of women's rights situation under other religions and in different societies for a proper appreciation of their rights in our society. He said women's rights should be pursued in a modern, efficient and smart way instead of sounding like going backward.