Women are now being trained as “qazis,” or Islamic judges who rule over marriage, divorce, and other relationship issues in India, allowing Indian brides to find justice within the Muslim community. The female qazis, unlike male qazis, listen to both individuals that are involved in the relationship and provide women information regarding their legal rights.
However, the existence of the female qazis are in question in the male dominated society. Many people believe that rituals done by the female qazis are not legit or authentic. Despite that the prophet’s wife Sayyida Aisha was a qazis and she formalized multiple marriages in her time.
The increasing number of women in the sharia judges is teaching women feminist perspectives of Islam. The new class of female qazis in India is also empowering women to become more involved with other leadership roles within the Muslim community as well.
Media Resources: Aljazeera 6/14/19, Daily Beast 04/13/17, Feminist Newswire 4/27/12
