A new Darul Uloom trains women qazis

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan on Monday announced the formation of Darul Uloom Niswaan, a centre for Islamic learning and theology which is training women qazis.

The initiative began in Jaipur with a group of 30 Muslim women who have embarked on the journey to become qazis, the women's group said in a statement here.

The training programme in Jaipur is the first in the series of a year-long training which will include learning on theology, history of Islam, the Indian constitution as well as principles and values of Islam.

Further training modules through the year will focus on other important topics like gender equality in Islam and family laws on other countries.

"This initiative is part of the larger feminist movement in the Islamic world initiated by women activists and scholars who have taken upon themselves the task of presenting to the world a humane, just and peaceful facet of Islam which today has been usurped by the conservative and dogmatic religious bodies who do not believe in gender equality and human rights," the statement said.