Islamist protests are more often than not dominated by women. If you notice the pattern, it is always the Islamist woman who is at the forefront – eyeballing the law enforcer or pelting stones, or involved in a fight. We sometimes wonder why they do it – well, one obvious reason stands out – the woman is considered to be ‘weak’ and hence must not be harmed. Hence, to save themselves, the men push the women and that is why we see them in such large numbers.

In this article, we list out the few instances where Islamist women both in Bharat and abroad have always been at the forefront when it comes to protest.

Pinjra Tod

Interestingly, Islamist women were backed by the Pinjra Tod ‘movements‘ gave space for these Islamist women to get their few minutes of fame. These women not only participated in protests but also played crucial roles in organizing them—providing logistics, first aid, and spreading information. These women, in the name of activism for education, and combating sectarianism, also ‘fought’ for protecting the rights of ‘marginalized’ communities like the Rohingya.

Islamic Revolution in Iran

An article in Teen Vogue caught our attention. This article discussed the active involvement of Muslim women in protests, especially in 2020, driven by a ‘sense of justice rooted in their faith’. Melanie Elturk, CEO of Haute Hijab, emphasized the responsibility of Muslims to stand up for justice, highlighting her participation in Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd’s death. The article reflected on the historical and ongoing activism of Muslim women, noting their significant roles in movements such as the Islamic Revolution in Iran and recent protests against restrictive clothing laws in France and Denmark.

Right to wear burkha

More often than not, Islamist women’s protests often revolve around issues of bodily autonomy and rights to wear or not wear certain clothing, like the hijab or burqa. For instance, during the Iranian Revolution, women used traditional clothing as a political statement against the Shah’s liberal policies. Similarly, in response to laws banning full-face veils in France and Denmark, Islamist women protested by wearing niqabs to defy these regulations.

It is noteworthy that some conservative Muslim communities still resist the idea of female protesters, viewing public activism as culturally inappropriate for women.

Pakistan’s Aurat March

In 2020, Muslim women worldwide, for example, in Pakistan’s Aurat March have continued this ‘tradition of activism’. Social media became a ‘powerful’ tool for these women to spread the word and organize protests. Pakistani-turned-UK citizen Malala Yousafzai is another example of how to be an activist while spreading propaganda.

Nusra Ara, a resident of Shaheen Bagh in South Delhi, was roused from sleep by a phone call alerting her to an imminent police arrival at the ongoing protest site. Despite having been awake for hours to fulfill her household duties, Ara quickly made her way to the protest, where she and thousands of other mostly women had been gathering daily for over a month. The protest began as a small, peaceful sit-in against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which many view as discriminatory against Muslims. The movement gained momentum after the police crackdown on student protesters at nearby Jamia Millia University, bringing conservative, middle-aged Muslim women like Ara to the streets.

Shaheen Bagh

Shaheen Bagh, a predominantly Islamist neighborhood, became the epicenter of protest and chaos against the Modi government’s decision to bring in CAA and NRC. The protestors blocked a major highway connecting Delhi to Noida, and grew in number daily, reaching up to 150,000 participants. This is one of the biggest examples of an Islamist women-led movement. These women, many of whom had never before participated in public protests were brought in by protest organizers in the name of ‘safeguarding’ their children’s future.

Bhopal gas tragedy

The Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 saw Muslim women leading the fight for justice after a catastrophic gas leak. Couldn’t the men sit in protest?

Gaza

After the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in 2023 that killed 1,400 Israelis, the Israeli military has been bombarding Gaza, targeting homes, hospitals, and schools, leading to the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

Muslim women, particularly those from Palestinian, Arab, South Asian, and Black communities, led protests and campaigns against these ‘atrocities’. Gazan women also blame Israel, while not the primary enforcers of the hijab, for the conditions due to the ‘occupation’ that allowed extremist groups to gain power and exploit social instability.

Palestinian women stone-pelting Israeli forces

Some time back, a series of pictures of women whose face was masked by a hijab with the Palestinian scarf made the rounds claiming to be from Delhi. While they weren’t from India, it only reiterates our point that Islamist women are always at the forefront of any protest.

This Getty image’s caption states “A Palestinian young woman from the Birzeit University holds stones during clashes with Israeli security forces in Beit El, on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Ramallah, on October 7, 2015. New violence rocked Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including a stabbing in annexed east Jerusalem, even as Israel and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas took steps to ease tensions. AFP PHOTO / ABBAS MOMANI (Photo by ABBAS MOMANI / AFP) (Photo by ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images)”

Another picture of women wearing a similar scarf – also from Palestine but from 2014.

Here’s another from Palestine in 2015 where a woman is using a slingshot to pelt stones.

All these images prove that Islamist women are equal protestors.

Stone pelting by Islamist women in Bharat

In the summer of 2018, the Kashmir Valley witnessed a disturbing trend: young girls, mostly students from Government Women’s College in Srinagar, were seen pelting stones at security forces, a role traditionally associated with young boys. This phenomenon was said to be ‘driven by growing anger and frustration’ over the killings of terrorists and civilians, as well as the influence of local separatist groups like Dukhtaran-e-Millat. This gave us an idea of how the involvement of girls in violent protests was signaling a shift in the region.

Following violent clashes in Haldwani, Uttarakhand in February 2024, the police revealed that Islamist women clad in burqas were involved in pelting stones at law enforcement during the unrest. The violence erupted when authorities began demolishing an unauthorized madrasa and mosque in Banbhoolpura, leading to six deaths and over 300 injuries, including police personnel. According to Senior Superintendent of Nainital, these women hidden under burqas, were identified through CCTV footage as they attacked police during the demolition.

Social media

On social media, when it comes to peddling a certain narrative, the likes of Rana Ayyub, Saba Naqvi, Arfa Sherwani come together with their dearest fake news peddler Mohammad Zubair to amplify the propaganda.

Be it online or offline, it is these khalas, these women who are at the epicentre of the ground. This is just a small list of instances where Islamist women have been the face of protests protecting their men. While many reasons can be given, classic texts from their kitab indicate that it permits women to participate in Jihad. Protests are nothing but different forms of Jihad – they aid and abet along with their male counterparts to further the cause of al-Jihad that will indirectly affect the ‘kaffirs’ at large.