Help at hand

Krishnagar, March 27: Minority affairs minister Abdus Sattar today said the state’s Muslim women were being treated as “unequal citizens” by society.

Sattar said the plight of working Muslim women was worse, and the government would provide them shelter by setting up hostels for them across the state.

Inaugurating a hostel for Muslim college and university students in Krishnagar, Sattar said residents of Bengal, particularly Calcutta, were denying working Muslim women their basic rights.

“Muslim women in the state, like any other part of the country, are treated as unequal citizens by society. The condition of working women is more pathetic — despite getting good education and jobs, they are being deprived of their basic rights,” Sattar said.

The minister said educated Muslim girls often “don’t find a place in the house” if they don’t marry at an early age.

“Pressured by parents, many working Muslim women leave their homes. But the world outside is more cruel. Many house-owners don’t want unmarried Muslim girls as tenants,” Sattar said.

“It’s very unfortunate but the problem is chronic in Calcutta.”

The first hostel for working Muslim women would come up in Calcutta, the minister said. “More than 100 working women will be accommodated there.”

The finance department has already released funds for the proposed hostel. “We will spend more than Rs 1 crore on it. More such hostels will be set up in towns across the state,” the minister said.

Sattar said that society’s bias against working Muslim women would discourage girls in the community from pursuing higher education.

“Only 50 per cent of Muslim women in Bengal are literate. If they continue to be treated like this, the percentage will drop further,” he added.

To boost literacy in the community, the government has decided to set up around 500 junior high schools this year, Sattar added.

Wakf survey

Sattar, who also heads the state wakf board, said PricewaterhouseCoopers would conduct a survey on “the use and misuse” of wakf properties across the state.

“The agency will tell us how we can use wakf properties for the benefit of Muslims,” he said.