A Role Model Unaware

Imrana Illahi may not have won against the Shariat but she is a heroine nonetheless.

People have a lot of role models today. Be it sports, movies or politics, personalities have been idolized as icons and hero-worshiped. I would like to present before you one more star in this world, an ordinary Indian woman who I feel is worthy of emulation. May I present Imrana Illahi.

Imrana Illahi has been hot news, in media and elsewhere in the month gone by. An average Indian woman, hailing from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Imrana’s name headed countless television reports, articles, news dispatches, internet messages and indignant reports going in all directions. Her claim to fame? A number of incidents actually, but it all started with Imrana Illahi getting brutally raped by her husband’s father. In her own home. 

For those who are unaware of what happened to Imrana Illahi, here are the details briefly:

First, Imrana was a victim of rape. She was assaulted and violated by her father-in-law, Ali Mohammad. According to intelligence received from the media, the man absconded, but was arrested and is now in prison awaiting trial.

Second, she was issued a fatwa (religious decree) according to which she could no longer remain married to her husband. The Shariat (local community panchayat) who passed this judgment, decreed that she divorce her husband and marry her father-in-law Ali Mohammad. 

Thirdly, she was further victimized when she appealed to higher religious authorities to nullify this inhuman ruling. Instead of revoking the edict they went a step further by endorsing the decree! 

 Last but not the least Imrana’s life has become an issue of debate not just among her family, but also within the society, the Muslim religious leaders, women's groups and of course the politicians. For the greater good…...

First thoughts

The first thought that occurred to me when I heard about Imrana Illahi was that this woman not only has to deal with getting raped but also get over the fact that her rapist was not an unknown face, but a familiar father figure. If that were not all, Imrana was brutalized within the safety (?) of her own house! For most of us ‘home’ is an environment offering security, a valued place that is regarded as a refuge from the daily travails. Whatever the family disagreements and kitchen table politics, home remains a sanctuary for nearly everyone. I am sure it must have been so for Imrana Illahi too. So how does a person cope when this basic security is doubly violated? Doesn’t this undermine a person’s confidence in self to some extent. 

It must have, but worse was to follow. The panchayat instead of taking measures to rehabilitate her, aggravated the situation by instructing her to marry her attacker and treat her spouse as a son. The clerics who passed this bizarre decree, justified these instructions by maintaining that the occurrence of rape had annulled Imrana’s marriage to her husband and therefore she must now marry her father-in-law. 

Quest for justice

Remarkably, this mother of five refused to bow down to the strictures laid down by her community leaders. She not only refused to obey the Shariat, but also lodged a First Information Report in the local police station and took part in a protest demonstration organized by social workers against the panchayat diktat. Here the gutsy woman spoke out for increasing the awareness among women of the community, so that they were able to fight crimes of these nature and social injustice that surround it.

Her next step was to appeal to a higher religious body to override the Shariat decree. Full of faith, she challenged the powers that be in her village. This gutsy woman made a very courageous move but her efforts were in vain. Her appeal to the Darul Uloom, Deoband (self-described as a cornerstone of "Islamic sciences worldwide") was not only refused but referred back to the Shariat court. If that were not enough, this move was further endorsed by the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board! 

Punish the victim, not the culprit

Imrana Illahi had undergone immense anguish, physical as well as mental, and this ruling from two powerful religious institutions for sure must have weakened her resolve. A woman’s quest for justice to return to the simple life she led before the rape and to have the guilty punished, were all brought to a still. Makes one wonder about this law, which instead of helping the victim, secures the rights of the accused.

The next we heard was that both Imrana and her husband Noor Illahi had bowed down to the superior knowledge of Darul Uloom, Deoband and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. Both were willing to abide by the fatwa .

I think it should also be mentioned here that during Imrana Illahi’s quest for justice, while there were many demonstrations supporting her, there were people who thought otherwise. These groups while allowing for compensation to the victim and punishment to the guilty would not brook interference in matters of the Shariat law.

Was this the straw that broke the camels back?

Amazingly no! This resilient woman while communicating her willingness to abide by the fatwa, which still had not been personally conveyed to her, also expressed her confidence in getting justice from the court of law! Quote, “I am ready to abide with the fatwa. I also have immense faith in the law of the land and I demand that the strictest punishment for Mohammad Ali” unquote.

Noteworthy really. Without doing anything to arouse the ire of her community leaders, she has still managed to sidestep them in her pursuit for justice. Deft handling of affairs, worthy of any seasoned diplomat!

So Why Is She A Role Model?

If it hasn’t sunk in yet, I am guessing it will be hard convincing you otherwise. I would like to try anyways.

Even an animal when attacked, takes time to lick its wounds. This lady did otherwise. She registered a FIR in the police station to ensure that her rapist did not escape scot-free.

Instead of reeling from the blow that she got from her community leaders, she approached a higher authority in such matters. Could it have been an easy task to defy the norm when you are already undergoing deep physical as well as mental anguish? I think not. 

When denied justice from the higher religious authorities Imrana must have been shattered and she did capitulate. But her submission was cloaked in steel. Whilst agreeing to obey whatever is communicated to her by the religious organization, she also professed her confidence in the law of the land. 

No doubts, she is one heck of a woman. She has come back bouncing on her feet, every time an adversity hit her. It couldn’t have been easy having such an intimate tragedy become a nationwide debate. Willing/unwilling she will be a role model for many people.

I wonder about her, this lady called Imrana Illahi. How long will it take her to get justice? How long for the furor to die down? When will she be able to go back and continue her life as it was.

Present state of affairs 

Islamic groups and other social welfare organizations have been consolidating Imrana Illahi’s position by demanding the hearing of her case in a fast-track court. 

A political party has given Rs 50,000 in cash as relief. 

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (already mentioned earlier for their role in endorsing the fatwa) recently announced that Imrana Illahi might not have been raped as has been claimed. Apart from political parties who have denounced this declaration, no reactions have been reported by the media.

The police have filed a charge sheet against Ali Mohammed, the main accused, with details of the victim's recorded statement, her medical report and accounts of more than 12 witnesses, including her family members.

The Shariat court, which has been asked by the Islamic seminary Darul-Uloom of Deoband to decide the future relationship of the victim with her in-laws, have not started proceedings in the case, as Imrana and her family members are yet to turn up before it.