Political Parties Come Together To Support SC On Voter ID for Burqa Clad Women

Political Parties Come Together To Support SC On Voter ID for Burqa Clad Women

NEW DELHI: Burying their differences, political parties came together on Saturday to back the Supreme Court on the issue of voter identity cards for Muslim women by pointing out that the photo ID was an instrument of empowering them.As reported by The Times Of India.

The photo identity card is the basic symbol of empowerment for any citizen in a democracy; how can anybody deprive the Muslim women of that right?" Congress spokesman Shakil Ahmed asked.

He pointed out that while going to Saudi Arabia for Haj, Muslim women were photographed for passports. "No Islamic country has sought a ban on such a requirement," he said.

Echoing his views, BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said there was a need to strongly oppose the `fanatic views' putting hurdles in the way of issuing voter identity cards to Muslim women. "There is no need to weaken the democratisation process," he said.

CPI leader D Raja said that the opposition to photo IDs for Muslim women was like putting the clock back. "A lot of Muslim women are coming out of the purdah; they are even fighting elections and getting elected; the fundamentalist forces should realise the democratic temperament of the times," he said

Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind spokesman Abdul Hamid Naumani said that even the Sharia made concessions for exceptional circumstances. "We cannot call the Supreme Court pronouncement wrong; for the purpose of making a passport or an identity card a Muslim woman can be photographed," he said. Naumani, however, suggested that women officials should be present while photographing Muslim women.

Keeping in view the security problem, we should cooperate with the authorities," said Kamal Farooqi, the member of All India Muslim Personal Law.