IFES poster in India.

Suraiya Tabassum is a pioneer in her community. The Muslim researcher leads an unprecedented IFES program that educates women about their rights under both the Qur’an and the Indian Constitution. The IFES Muslim Women’s Initiative grew out of research and workshops conducted by IFES showing many Muslim women did not know their rights ensured to them by the Qur’an and the Indian Constitution.

“It was like a dream coming true because the research I did translated into reality,” said Tabassum, who holds a doctorate in women’s studies.

At first, Tabassum was hesitant to delve into the sensitive issue of personal law, especially at her young age. However, a talk with her father convinced her it was time to give back to her community. She accepted the opportunity to join IFES in 2004 and worked for over a year to create a program with an inclusive and collaborative methodology, earning praise from thousands of Muslims in Karnataka and Rajasthan.

“If you work to ensure the culture, the laws, the values and the perception of the community with whom you are going to work are respected, your efforts will be successful,” she said.

Tabassum gives credit for the success of this program to local partners and the Muslim community, especially women who welcomed this project as their own, designed especially for them. She remembers a woman in Jaipur who silently suffered domestic abuse for many years. An IFES workshop inspired the woman to recognize her worth. She left the abusive relationship, started a business to support her children and became an advocate for women’s rights in her own community.

There are hundreds of such women who are speaking out for their rights after attending IFES-supported workshops. Tabassum is positive IFES’ local partners and the Muslim community will continue to expand upon the program.

“The initiative is sure to succeed as the community has put its full support behind it,” she said.