Muslim women's rights discourse in the pre-independence period

The present paper deals with the discourse of the rights of Muslim women in the pre- independence period with particular reference to the Shariat Act 1937 and the Muslim Marriage Dissolution Act 1939. We try to raise a few questions which would provide a comprehensive idea of the intentions behind these enactments. What is meant by the Shariat? What was the position of women before these Acts were passed? Why was a need for these enactments felt by the community, national leaders, reformers, as well as the British rulers? Was issue of gender justice the focus for the demanding these enactments by the community leaders and the political parties? What were the overall political circumstances in which these enactments were brought? This paper attempts to explore the sociohistorical and political situation in which these Acts were passed. To this end, we have tried to capture various debates that took place among the legislators in the assembly, social reformers, writers, community leaders and so on. The role of political parties, women’s organizations and the women’s movement is also taken into account in dealing with the above issue. The paper is based on information collected from primary and secondary sources, and analysis is socio-historical in nature.