Aisha Ibrahim Kilishi, Bauchi State Amira, FOMWAN
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Islamic teachers, Imams and Ulamas have been charged to as a matter of necessity engage in preaching against sexual and gender based violence especially against women and girls using their vintage positions.
The charge was given by the Bauchi state Amira of Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Aisha Ibrahim Kilishi while speaking during a 2-day capacity building for stakeholders to bridge the gap created by impunity towards sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) and how to mitigate the practice in Bauchi state organized by Attah Sisters Helping Hand (ASHH) Foundation.
She said that, “Actually what I want mallams and the Ulamas to know is that gender based violence is not religious, it is more of culture, attitude and tradition, so we want them to be sensitizing the people about the punishment and the right of women as stated clearly in the Quran and also in the hadith (sunnah of the Prophet)”.
Aisha Ibrahim Kilishi added that,”especially when we look at Girl-child education and handling of the right of women to economic empowerment, all these are well stated and spelt out for the followers and if they are well informed about these, they will do well and the society will be a best place to be”.
The FOMWAN Amira added that, “Women will be well empowered to support their husbands, support their children. If a woman is not well educated, actually she will not be able to contribute to the decision that is taken as enshrined in the Quran” .
According to her, “We want to see our women well educated and also in terms of entrepreneurship, not about a woman going out of the house and work but it is for the woman to be an entrepreneur in her home so that she can contribute to the well-being of the family” .
“Actually, religious leaders are not responsible for the misconception, religion and culture go hand in hand, if you look at the way we dress, our languages, these are all part of the culture and it is difficult to separate them from religion, so actually, that is the reason for the misconception”, she stressed.
She however lamented that, “on some of the negatives, people don’t look at the positives of the culture but pay more attention to the negatives and erroneously place it under religion. So all of the negatives are termed to be culture” .
She stressed that, “It is our culture that a woman should be well covered and religion has now put more emphasis on that, but, when it comes to some negatives side of it like the violence against women, some are saying that the woman must not go out to interact, to engage in entrepreneurship, do some economic empowerment things, it is because it is not religious that prevented her from doing it”.
Aisha Ibrahim Kilishi said that, “One thing is that religion encourages women to be engaged in something that will enable them support their husbands just as the Prophet (SAW) did when he married a well established entrepreneur woman, Nana Khadijah who used to send her caravan to far countries to sell and make money”.
She asked, “Why are our women not allowed to do that? These are some of the things that we are saying, women in Islam should be allowed to engage in entrepreneurship so that they can also support their husbands and their families”.
“Women should be well educated, they should have a say in some of the social issues that affect them and their children, it is when they do so that they will be able to pass across issues that affect their children, especially the girls in the decision making within the family, they need to be given that opportunity so that they will be able to contribute”. The FOMWAN Amira stressed that, “I am encouraging the Ulamas to use their sermons to preach against SGBV in the Mosques because it is a serious issue, a menace that is affecting the entire society”.
She concluded saying, “we are calling them to let us have counseling sections in the Mosques so that our children will be well guided about marriage before they go into it at least three months before the marriage, we have seen how it is done in Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and other countries, in our own context, we have to do something. It will help to avoid violence against women in marriage from domestic violence”.
