Similar to the legacy of the University of Al-Qarawwiyin which was first established in 859 by a woman named Fatima al-Fihri in Fes, Morocco that went on to become one of the top institutions for natural sciences education we in India have a similar legacy to celebrate on the 9th of January. In a country that is withholding the rights of Muslim women’s education, discriminating based on a piece of cloth she chooses to cover her head with, is also the same country which has a rich legacy in the name of Fatima Sheikh. The Twitter trend in India today saw ‘Fatima Sheikh’ who is a pioneer and an important figure in upholding the rights of education of girls and students from all backgrounds.
India in an ongoing battle is on its way to joining the list of countries that do not allow students in schools and colleges to wear Hijab. Which other countries have forgotten the legacy of Fatima Al Fihri, The first woman to have founded the concept of a university who herself donned Hijab?
Austria in 2019 placed a ban on headscarves for children up to the age of ten years. Bosnia and Herzegovina banned wearing the hijab and other religious symbols are banned in courts and other institutions. Presently, Muslim women employed in judicial institutions are prohibited to wear hijab to work. In Canada’s Québec province wearing religious symbols for all public servants in positions of authority are prohibited.
France passed a law in 2004 banning all religious clothing and symbols in schools. The law, however, doesn’t apply to universities. In Kazakhstan some schools banned headscarves in 2017. A year later, the government proposed a ban on people wearing headscarves, niqabs, and other similar forms of clothes in public.
In Kosovo wearing of hijab in public schools, universities and government buildings is banned since 2009. In some schools of Kyrgyzstan students are not allowed to wear headscarves while attending classes in 2011, 2012 and 2015. In Russia Hijab is banned in schools and varsities in two regions the Republic of Mordovia and the Stavropol Territory. Uzbekistan’s government in 2012 banned the selling of religious clothing such as hijabs and face veils in the market. In 2018, an Uzbek imam was sacked by the authorities after he urged the country’s President to lift a ban on religious symbols including the hijab.
January 9th marks the birth anniversary of Fatima Sheikh who together with Savitribai Phule led the way for reform at a period when only higher caste males had access to school and education of female students along with education for students from all caste was unheard of.
Fatima Sheikh who was trending in India today has a fascinating story that inspires and in turn questions today’s discrimination against women who want to wear Hijab to school and college. And the question that arises is, has nothing changed since 1848 that we still fighting the same issues? And discriminating the rights on same grounds?
Why is Savitribai Phule remembered in Indian history but Fatima Sheikh forgotten?
India commemorates Savitribai Phule’s birth anniversary on January 3rd of each year. She was the first Indian woman to start a school for girls and a career as a teacher. Nevertheless, Savitribai Phule and Jyotirao Phule were joined by another notable woman whose contribution has been purposely ignored and forgotten by the historians. The entire women’s school initiative would not have come to fruition without Fatima Sheikh’s contribution. The school was founded and established for the women in 1848.
Despite the fact that it took one and a half centuries, Savitribai Phule is today well-known in society. She is receiving her just due in history. Even a TV show was created based on her life and works. The RSS likewise submitted to Savitribai despite her well-documented anti-Brahminical attitudes and writings. Savitribai Phule Pune University was renamed from University of Poona, and the Maharashtra government established honours degree in her rememberance.
But Fatima Sheikh is so obscure that even her birthdate is up for question. Many contend that her birth anniversary is on, January 9th. So why isn’t she being honoured by anyone?
The Phules were welcomed into Fatima and her brother Usman Sheikh’s home when Jyotirao and Savitribai were asked to leave their ancestral home by Jyotirao’s father because he was upset with the couple’s reform agenda. The girls’ school had its beginnings in the same structure. Given that the social elite of the time were opposed to girls attending school and that they should attend with people of all castes and religions, was out of question.
Fatima, who reportedly received her training at the same institution as Savitribai, accompanied Savitribai on her quest to become a certified teacher. Up until Savitribai was unwell and returned to her mother’s home in 1856, she taught at each of the five schools the Phules founded.
Internet archival sources claim that in her letters to Jyotirao, Savitribai spoke highly of Fatima and respected her for her contribution. She was exclusively associated with the Phules and another woman, Saguna Bai, who reportedly helped Fatima and Savitribai educate, aside from her brother.
Little attention is given to the fact that Fatima Sheikh, a woman joined Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule in their fight against the caste system and the monopoly of male education. Additionally, it is quite notable since she educated children of various religions while being a minority. The irony as disappointing as it is to see how Fatima fought and could see the discrimination, as a Muslim woman who sheltered and cultured the very idea by giving her premises for the cause of education for all irrespective of any caste, religious discrimination and undertones. She would have been in utter disbelief and shock if someone told her that things would be pretty much the same two centuries later. And that it would happen to her community after centuries of reforms and so-called rights to equality to all and freedom.
This is not to imply that Savitribai Phule received the accolades without effort. She suffered greatly at the hands of mainstream historians. Even the name of Savitribai was not mentioned in early textbooks. After being forgotten for many years, Dalit and Bahujan activists only recently began to write about her. But Fatima Sheikh has been unable to follow the same process. She made an equal contribution like that of the Phules. Contribution as a social reformer and educator and must have faced greater challenges.
A brief biography of Fatima Sheikh is now included in the Urdu textbook used in Maharashtra schools. As Dr Samir Mahmoud says, “Any idea to make it into the mainstream and get validation requires it to become a part of the education system”
We know so little about Fatima Sheikh because she never authored any treatises about her life or career. Savitribai and her husband Jyotirao Phule, on the other hand, wrote a lot. They wrote essays, plays, poems, thesis statements, and even love letters.
Such were the struggles of a true leader who stood for the rights of all, and todays leaders can be spotted making derogatory remarks such as the BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal quoted “Muslim students wanting to wear hijab should go to Pakistan” also, Karnataka BJP State Chief Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the state government will not allow the ‘Talibanisation’ of the education system”.
In a recent detailed report produced by human right organization People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) many interviewed students said that their attendance was not being marked by their lecturers. In Dakshina Kannada, a student recalled, “We were not allowed inside classrooms but we were made to sit outside in order to attend classes. I would shout ‘Present’ from outside the class when my name was called out in the Attendance Roll. The entire process was very distressing and was in itself a punishment for Muslims, which undoubtedly affected the education of all of us. Many Muslim girls enter colleges with a dream and a vision about their higher education. When these incidents take place, I worry that Muslim students will feel discouraged and develop a dislike towards the idea of studying.”
Doesn’t it remind us of Dr B.R Ambedkar’s story of sitting in the corner of his class as he belonged to the Dalit community? What has changed, has anything changed at all?
The freedom from discrimination is a crucial aspect of constitutional rights in India. The Constitution specifically forbids discrimination by the state on the basis of sex and religion in Article 15. Even citizens are barred from discriminating against other citizens on the aforementioned grounds under Article 15(2).
However, in Karnataka, both the government and the populace violated students’ right to be free from discrimination. The state and all of its governance mechanisms discriminated against Muslim female students by denying them any procedure or avenue through which to pursue the protection of their fundamental rights and by barring them from educational institutions via this broad ban. Inciting hatred towards Muslim students, picking on and harassing them, and restricting their freedom of speech and access to education are all examples of severe religious discrimination against students.
As on 13th October 2022, The Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on the hijab ban. To adjudicate the hijab restriction, the matter was referred to the Chief Justice of India for the constitution of a larger bench.
Students in Raichur told the PUCL team that they were terrified of their own classmates who belonged to the ABVP and other Hindutva groups. “When we are made to take off our hijabs, we feel scared and afraid that more of us may be followed or harassed in public. Therefore, even as we approach our own college campus, we coordinate with one another so that no one has to enter by themselves, said a young girl in Raichur. Numerous Muslim pupils dropped out of school as a result of this dreadful climate.
Almost two centuries have passed since Fatima challenged the established quo to guarantee that all children, regardless of caste, gender, or religion, had access to education. The fact that some young children in Maharashtra today might run over her name in a textbook while others are not allowed inside the class in some other states due to them upholding their beliefs and faith shows the perfect irony Indian society is currently dealing with.
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The author holds a graduate degree in journalism and education and has a postgraduate degree in MSc Psychology. She can be reached at: zulekharajani1@gmail.com
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