• Reform of Muslim Family Law
• The Indian Campaign on the International Criminal Court
• Campaigns that WRAG has actively participated in
• Letter Campaigns Endorsed by WRAG

Reform of Muslim Family Law - Activities

Outreach, Networking & Increasing Visibility

The campaign has gradually increased its interactions with scholars, lawyers and activists who are concerned about the issue and are willing to contribute to the process of reforms.  The following activities have led to its increasing visibility:

• Promoting  a Progressive Nikahnama  
• Collaboration with other organizations
• Media Outreach
• Publications

Promoting  a Progressive Nikahnama 

In the communities that WRAG works in, the progressive nikaahnama prepared by Muslim Women’s Rights Network has been used in a widespread manner, both for renewal of marriage vows as well as for new marriages. Total of 34 marriages have been performed using the progressive nikaahnama. 14 of these marriages we solemnized on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8th March 06.   The nikaahnama has also been widely disseminated to organizations and individuals throughout the country, with a view that more and more Muslim marriages will take place using progressive nikaahnamas that are committed to women’s rights.

Collaboration with other organizations

The campaign does collaborative activities with other NGO‘s including information dissemination programs and capacity building workshops on the issue of Muslin Family Law
Collaborative activities - 2006 

• Capacity-building of staff of Mahila Patchwork – a women’s organization based in Ahmedabad – on the issue of Muslim law in January 2006 
• Capacity building of staff of Disha – the only women’s organization in Uttaranchal to work with Muslim women.  Training sessions on issues of purdah and Muslim family law were held with them in April 2006
• Organizing and conducting a workshop on Muslim family law with the activists of Aman Samuday, in  Ahmedabad  in November 06
• 3 day National Camp on Rights of Muslim Women in Islam with Centre for Study of Society and Secularism- December 2006. Press article on this event ( Read now)

Media Outreach

• Press Conferences  

In May 2005 the All India Muslim Personal law Board released a nikhanama (marriage contract) which contained regressive clauses detrimental to the causes of women. A Press Conference was held where in the Federation members condemned the newly released Nikahnama and spoke about the Nikahanama prepared by the Muslim Women’s Rights Network.
Subsequently in the same month WRAG facilitated another press conference, addressed by the women from the federation. During this conference 10 couples got married under the nikahnama (marriage contract) prepared by the Muslim Women’s Rights Network.

•  Media Coverage of Press Conference conducted in May 2005 in response to the Nikahnama prepared by the All India Muslim Personal law Board Click here for Media coverage
  1. Times of India -7th May 2005
  2. Free Press Journal – 7th May 2005
  3. Indian Express – 7th May 2005
  4. Mumbai Sandhya -7th May 2005 (Hindi)
  5. Dainik Lokmat - 7th May 2005 (Marathi) 
  6. Urdu Times – 7th May 2005 (Urdu)
  7. Maharashtra Time – 7 May 2005 (Marathi))

• Media Coverage of Press Conference organized by WRAG in May 2005 Promoting the progressive Nikahnama in response to the Nikahnama prepared by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Click here for Media coverage
  1. Times of India -14th May 2005
  2. Indian Express -   14th May 2005 
  3. Dainik Lokmat - 14th May 2005 (Marathi)  
  4. Sakib Times 15th may 2005 (Hindi weekly)
  5. Hind Mata 15th May 2005 (Hindi)
  6. Tarun Bharat 14 May (Hindi)

Publications

All the materials published by WRAG are on a copy left basis, so feel free to use, distribute and circulate. We only ask that you provide credit if you are using portions of the publications

English  Publications :

Muslim Women's Views on Personal Laws. The Influence of socio – economic factors By Vahida Nainar, 2000, published by Women’s Research & Action Group 94 Pages	Shah Bano and the Muslim Women Act a Decade on: The Right of the Divorced Muslim Woman to Mataa Edited by Lucy Carroll, 1998 Co-published by Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), International Solidarity Network and Women's Research & Action Group 233 pages
English & Hindi
Aspects of Culture & Society: Muslim Women in India. WRAG Report 1997. published by Women's Research and Action Group English - 243 pages	Hindi - 308 pages
Women Law and Customary Practices WRAG, 1997. English	Women Law and Customary Practices WRAG, 1997. Hindi
English, Hindi and Urdu  A set of five books on Muslim Personal Law By Noorjehan Safia Niaz,  2003.  published by Women’s  Research  and Action Group
History of the Development of Islamic Law                                       13 Pages	Understanding and Interpretation of  Quranic verses on Divorce  22 Pages
Laws Governing the Muslim                Community                                                        15 pages	Maintenance after Divorce A Major concern of Muslim Women 15 pages
Sources of Islamic Law 13 Pages
Hindi Translations  -
16 pages	24 pages
19 pages	19 pages
16 Pages
Urdu Translations
16 Pages	22 pages
19 Pages	17 Pages
16 pages

Forthcoming

Supreme Court Speaks: Judgments on Muslim law and Women's Rights

Hindi Translation of 3 chapters of Dr. Zeenat Shaukat Ali's pioneering book titled 'Empowerment of Muslim Women' that focus on marriage in Islam