New Delhi, Nov. 28 :     For the first time, 15 out of 49 berths on the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board have gone to women. The board, till now a male preserve, is the apex body of Shia, Sunni and other Muslim groups in India. It regulates and interprets Shariat and other Islamic laws which have often been misused against women. Significantly, the initiative to draft women into the board has come from conservative clerics who had recently also given the go-ahead to reservation for women in Parliament and other legislative bodies. The ?empowerment of women? has finally broken the most difficult barrier, indicating the community leaders? desire to bring about sweeping reforms in Islamic society in areas such as marriage, maintenance and inheritance rights. The newly-constituted board is headed by Islamic scholar Maulana Ali Mian, rector of the Nadwa school of theology in Lucknow. Other members include Shia leader Syed Kalbe Sadiq, Syedna Burhanuddin, Maulana Salman Nadvi, Zafaryab Jeelani, Syed Shahabuddin, Qazi Mujahid-ul-Islam and Abdul Mannan. Prominent women members are Naseem Iqtedar Ali, Nilofar Akhtar, Qamur-un-Nisa, Azima Nahid, Moosa Mushra and Mumtaz Rasheed. They had attended the board?s recent meeting in Mumbai and addressed a crowd of about 40,000 at the YMCA hall. The board has also decided to prepare a model ?Nikahnama? (marriage contract) to be circulated among the qazis and muftis all over the country. The objective is to check gross misuse of Islamic laws regarding divorce, non-payment of ?mahar? (bridal price) and maintenance. The last two had become controversial issues after the Supreme Court?s verdict in the Shah Bano case. The board had openly opposed the court?s verdict and forced then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to overrule the apex court and amend the constitutional provisions. The board is in the process of setting up Shariat courts in all districts and taluqas to settle civil disputes. Some board members admit that Islamic laws are often misused in the absence of any effective redress mechanism. ?The idea of moving district courts is both time-consuming and expensive,? a board member said. ?Community or family courts, on the other hand, can go a long way in bringing about justice quickly without much cost.? The board member said some Shariat courts were performing well in Kerala and Karnataka. The move to bring about reforms in Muslim society gained momentum after the BJP and its allies came to power at the Centre. Muslim leaders feel it would be more prudent to set their house in order instead of waiting for the state?s intervention. The board is extremely wary of the government?s move to review the Constitution. Board president Ali Mian fears that Articles 25 and 29 might come under review to draft a uniform civil code, a proposal the Muslim Personal Law Board bitterly opposes.