Progressive Dawoodi Bohras

Reformist Bohra women from the Girls Wing of Dawoodi Bohra Association, Udaipur, participated in a panel discussion under the leadership of Dr. Zenab Banu. The discussion was chaired by Swami Agnivesh and was held on May 19, 2009.

The subject of the discussion was "Women and religious reform". Other participants were Dr. Vitthal Rao, a social worker from Hyderabad and Dr. Vasanti Raman, Director of Women Development studies, New Delhi.

Dr. Zenab Banu while speaking on reforms in the Muslim world cited examples of the Bohra women who led the reform movement in order to get rid of the atrocities of the religious administration. She encouraged Muslim women to familiarize themselves with the religious scriptures and their interpretations to avoid exploitation at the hands of the mullas.

Dr. Swami Agnivesh while talking on the reforms in the Muslim community said that he had observed the Bohra women and their reform movement closely. He said the women have made great progress in terms of professional careers and independence. He asked women from other religious community to learn from these Bohra women and bring about reforms in their communities. He congratulated the Girls Wing for their contribution to the movement.

In this hour-long episode, the audience that came from various cities in India raised many questions about the Bohra struggle and the reform movement. Dr. Zenab Banu answered them effectively.

There was another panel discussion on "Responsiblity of religion towards society". Dr. Zenab Banu was a panel member along with Dr. Ram Punyani, a professor from IIT, Mumbai and Secretary of All India Secularist Forum, and a Sufi poet Rabbi. Dr. Zenab Banu talked about the Bohra reform movement and informed the audience about its history and objectives.

In both the discussions other members of the Girls Wing, Fatima Bai RG., Rashida Taj, Rashida Jawariya Wala, Rehana Banu Germanwala, Nafisa Goriyawala, Sakina Dawood, Shabana Miyaji, Zeenat Khakharwala and Rubaika Liyaqat also participated. Liyaqat Amar, Shabbir Nasir, Adnan Ali and Nasir Javed were also present on the occasion. The women's active participation in the debate encouraged the producers to include them in other forthcoming episodes.

These discussions were telecast on the Loksabha TV Channel on May 30 and 31, 2009.