On April 13, 2016 KARAMAH had the pleasure to host Ms. Farzana Yaqoob, Minister for Social Welfare and Women’s Development in the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)- a self-governing area of Pakistan. Ms. Yaqoob is also an elected representative in the AJK Assembly and won a seat that was not reserved for a woman. Ms. Yaqoob is currently in the U.S. as a Fellow at the Eisenhower Fellowship Program.
Ms. Yaqoob shared with KARAMAH some issues threatening the Kashmiri family institution. In Kashmir, women are more educated than men. It is often difficult for educated women to find suitable husbands. According to Ms. Yaqoob, this discrepancy between the educational levels of spouses results in high rates of abuse, discord and divorce. Unfortunately, because of patriarchal influences, the Kashmiri society blames these problems on women’s education. KARAMAH’s research and legal assistance work with Muslim families here in the U.S. reveal that the aforementioned issues are not specific to Kashmir.
Ms. Yaqoob was interested in learning about strategies to empower women to achieve equal participation in economic and political life. During this meeting, Ms. Yaqoob learned about the KARAMAH model that believes that women can draw power from their faith and use that to affect change. Through the Law and Leadership Summer Program, KARAMAH offers Muslim women leaders the tools and the skills to lead themselves, their peers and the movements they are passionate about. During LLSP, participants take Islamic law courses that provide them with the technical competency necessary to understand Islamic law and analyze legal opinions and statements based on the authority of classical Islamic jurisprudential sources. This allows them to better understand and advocate for gender-equitable rights within the context of their religion and respective communities. KARAMAH also provides women with basics of conflict resolution and leadership so they advocate for their causes effectively without causing schisms in their communities.
It was a pleasure to have met Ms. Yaqoob and shared with her KARAMAH’s model and framework for women’s empowerment. We are inspired by leaders like her who draw strength from their faith to make change in their communities and empower women.
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