NATIONAL MINORITY WOMEN’S CONVENTION FOR SAFEGUARDING DEMOCRACY AND SECULARISM
NOVEMBER 26, 2013
CONSTITUTION CLUB OF INDIA
Rafi Marg, New Delhi
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8.00-9.00-Breakfast
9.00-9.30- Registration
NAMES OF SPEAKERS ARE IN ALPHABETIC ORDER, THEY MIGHT BE SPEAKING IN THIS ORDER.
9.30--12.00
Inaugural Session:
Democracy, Secularism & Growth of Fascist Forces
Chair: Seema Mustafa
Key Note Address: Dr. Syeda Hamid
Ajeet Cour, Bader Sayeed, Cynthia Stephen, Dr Rokeya Begum, Dr Sheena Shukkur , Dr. Annie Koshi, Nafisa Ali, Nuzhat Hassan, Ramesa Begum, Saleha Begum, Sara Abubaker, Sheba Varghese, Sister Justine
12.00-1.30 pm
Session 2
Survivors of Communal Violence: Voices
Chair: Zakia Soman
Bilkis Bano ( Gujarat), Khurshida Khatoon(Muzaffarnagar), Madina (Dhule), Mafia(Gopalgarh), Musarrat Jahan- (Mumbai), Sobhamani Karkaria (Kandhamal), Sultana Shaikh-(Gujarat), Tahirun Khatoon(Forbesgunj)
1.30-2.30
Lunch
Defending India: Safeguarding Democracy and Secularism
2.30-4.00
Session 3
Breaking the Stereotypes: Women’s Voices: professionals
Chair: Sheba George
Albeena Shakeel,Anusha Rizvi, Arfa Khanum, Meera Rizvi, Nusrat Hussain, Saba Azad, Samina Mishra, Seema Siddiqui
4.00-5.30
Session 4
Breaking the Stereotypes: Women’s Voices- grass root activists
Chair: Nafisa Barot
Jameela Khan, Maqsooda Shaikh, Naseem Shaikh, Noorjahan Diwan,NoorJahan Safiya Niaz, Safiya Akhtar
Zeba Khan , Zulekha Jabin
5.30-6.00
Tea and Snacks
Info on Speakers at the NMWC
We are as diverse as India
Seema Mustafa is an Indian print and television journalist. While with the Asian Age, Seema received the prestigious "Prem Bhatia Award for Excellence in Political Reporting and Analysis" in 1999. Seema Mustafa began her journalist career with The Pioneer in Lucknow, moved to The Patriot in 1979. She has worked for The Telegraph, Indian Express, Asian Age and The Sunday Guardian. She is now the consulting editor of Statesman.
Syeda Hameed is the Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, since 2004. She is holding various other post like Chancellor, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. She is the founding member of Muslim Women’s Forum (MWF) since 2000, Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA), South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR). She is the founding trustee of Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation. She was the Member: National Commission for Women, Govt. of India from 1997- 2000. Dr Sayeda Saiyidain Hameed has won many prestigious awards - Padma Shri, 2007, Al-Ameen All India Community, Leadership Award 2006, Bi Amma Award2012.
Annie Koshi, Principal of St. Mary’s School,Delhi. A devoted social worker, Annie actively advocates the cause of the disabled and has worked hard on introducing an inclusive education system. Ms. Koshi is the Chairperson of Pratham Delhi Education Initiative, Member of the Committee of CABE She is also a Member of the Advisory Committee for Minority Cell-NCERT.
Cynthia Stephen is an Independent Writer , Political Activist and Researcher based focusing on issues of gender, development, poverty and exclusionin Bangalore.
Nuzhat Hassan, an IPS Officer of AGMU-1991 , she is the first Muslim IPS ., awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Service. Nuzhat Hassan has held various posts in the police, including those of S.P. Telecom, Arunachal Pradesh, DCP-Anti Corruption and Additional DCP of New Delhi District. In the year 2005 she became the Director of NBT. She is also the author of a collection of short stories entitled The Marginals. Presently she is the Joint Commissioner, Delhi Police.
Nafisa Ali is an Activist, Actress, Politician .In September 2005, she was appointed the chairperson of the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI). Nafisa Ali has accomplishments in several fields. She was thenational swimming champion from 1972-1974. She won the Miss India title in 1976 and was runner-up at the Miss International contest in 1977. Ali was also a jockey at the Calcutta Gymkhana in 1979.
Bader Sayeed is a legal Lawyer and an activist. She has been doing her independent practice of Law at High Court of Madras since 1986. She has taken up many cases relating to dowry deaths, rape, domestic violence, women in the unorganised sector, prisoner's rights and juvenile children, custodial violence and police atrocities as an Legal Aid Lawyer.
Dr. Sheena Shukkur is the PRO- Vice Chancellor of Mahatama Gandhi University, Kerala. She has held many important positions like Member, Supreme Court Committee on Pendency and Arrears of High Courts, Chaired by Chief Justice of India , Director and Head of the Department of Law, the School of Legal Studies, Kannur University, Member, Executive Council, Kerala State Higher Education Council, Convener, Review Committee, Kerala State Policy on Higher Education, 2012, Convener, Review Committee on Reforming Legal Education in Kerala State, 2012,Member, Board of Studies in Law (PG), University of Calicut, 2012.
Ramesa Begum is a prominent writer in Assamese Language. She is a Member of Centre For MinorityStudies, Research and Development, Assam, Member, BTAD Citizen Rights Forum. Ramesa Begum is the Victim of BTAD ethnic clenching, 1994.
Ajit Cour is an Indian writer. She has written novels and short stories in the Punjabi Language on social-realist themes such as the experience of women in relationships and their position in society.She was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985.
Sara Abubakar was born in a Malayalam-speaking family from Kasaragod . She has written nine novels, also authored five collections of short stories and translated six major works from Malayalam into Kannada. The novel Chandragiri Teeradalli has been translated into Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, English and Hindi and has been widely acclaimed. It has been prescribed as a textbook in Bangalore, Mangalore, Kuvempu and Karnataka Women's universities. She has served in various organizations and bodies like Karnataka Sahitya Academy, Doordarshan preview committee, regional advisory committee of Kendra Sahitay Akademi .
Sheba Varghese is the Vice President of YWCA, India
Saleha Begum is the Member of BTAD Citizen Rights Forum, Assam and the Secretary, Socio-Economic Environment Society, Chirang, BTAD Assam.
Sheba George is an activist, Director of Sahrwaru, Ahmedabad. She has extensively worked on issues for women and youth's empowerment, gender justice and social reconciliation in Ahmedabad city and adjoining areas.
Sister Justine joined the Sisters of St Joseph in 1992 and began her ministry as a teacher and then as formator in their program for candidates and those in temporary profession. Justine’s life was dramatically changed on August 23, 2008, when sectarian violence between Hindus and Christians broke out in her native Kandhamal, Odisha. She has worked as Secretary to the Women’s Commission.
Zakia Soman helped to start the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan in January 2007 to empower Muslim women fight communal forces as well as fundamentalist and patriarchal elements within the community, working in 15 states. Zakia is an eyewitness and a victim of the Gujarat carnage of 2002. She and her family had to flee to save their lives. It is an experience which turned her from a genteel working woman to an ardent activist for women's rights.
Bilkis Bano is a survivor of sexual violence of 2002 Gujarat. At that time she was staying in Panchmahal. She fought for over 7 years and finally got her tormentors convicted.
Sultana is from Kalol, Gujarat. She is a survivor of sexual violence of 2002 Gujarat. She is still waiting to get justice.
Musarrat Jahan is the sister of Ishrat Jahan. She has been fighting for justice for the past 10 years for her sister who was killed in a fake encounter.
Madina house was attacked during the Dhule riots and her house was totally burnt.
Mafia is from Gopalgarh. She is a witness to the Goplagrah police firing case
Tahirun Khatoon- Forbesgunj, Tahirun lost her son and grandson in the Forbesgunj police firing in June 2010. She has been fighting since then to get justice.
Khurshida Khatoon is a witness to Muzaffarnagar violence.
Sobhamani Karkaria is a survivor from Kandhamal.
Anusha Rizvi is an Indian film director and Screenwriter. Her directorial debut was Peepli Live. The movie won the Best First Film award at the Durban film festival and the Gollapudi Srinivas Award. Anusha Rizvi was a journalist before venturing into film direction. She graduated in history from St.Stephen's College, University of Delhi.
Saba Azad is an Indian model, singer and actress working in the Hindi film industry, known for her leading role in the Yashraj Youth Banner film Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge. She has featured in many commercials. She is also trained in dance forms like Odissi, ballet, jazz, Latin as well as contemporary dance forms. Azad started her own theatre company 'The Skins' in 2010 and directed her first play 'Lovepuke' in 2010. She became famous as a singer after her song ‘Dhak Dhak karne Laga” from nautanki Saala became a hit last year. She is part of the two member band along with Imaad Shah- Madboy/Mink a Funk - Nu Disco , which is craze with youth.
Meera Rizvi is an Engineer turned TV content provider, specializing in education-entertainment where presumably, her training in solving equation with multiple variables comes in handy, with shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati, Aap Ki Kachehri, Galli Galliu Sim Sim and Jasoos Vijay under her belt
Arfa Khanum Sherwani is a television journalist for last 13 years, she is a senior anchor with Rajyasabha TV. Hosts a daily analytical show at 9 pm called Desh Deshantar. Previously worked with Aamir Khan Productions for Satyamev Jayate and NDTV.
Samina Mishra is a documentary filmmaker, writer and teacher based in New Delhi, with a special interest in media for children. Her work includes The House on Gulmohar Avenue, a film that traces the filmmaker’s personal journey to understand what it can mean to be a Muslim in India, Hina in the Old City, a photographic book for children on the Walled City of Delhi and Home and Away, a multi-media exhibition on British Asian children in London. She has been part of UNESCO's Travelling Literature Festival, Ghummakad Narain, sharing her work with an audience of children in different cities across India.
Albeena Shakeel- Albeena Shakil, a former President of JNU Students’ Union, is women rights’ activist and teaches at Bharati College, Delhi University. .
Nusrat Hussain is an Advocate by profession. She did her L.L.B from Faculty of Law, Delhi University. She has worked as Law researcher with Honorable Justice Gita Mittal , High Court of Delhi from January 2011 – May 2013. Presently Nusrat is working as Editor, Current Tax Reporter with Wolters Kluwer India, (Pvt.) Ltd.
Dr. Noorjehan Safia Niaz, co-founder of BMMA and founder and managing trustee of Ashana Trust. From 1999 till 2008 she worked in Women’s Research and Action Group [WRAG] as Project Coordinator and thereafter as the Co-Director. Through the years she has concentrated on developing the capacities of marginalized Muslim women, locally and nationally. She is also a visiting faculty with the Centre of Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy; SNDT Women’s University and teaches gender studies and human rights..
Noorjahan Diwan is an activist presently working with Anhad. Before the 2002 riots she was just a housewife, but 2002 riots was a turning point in her life. Since 2002 she has worked with Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Amana Samodaye. Before 2002 riots she was a school teacher. Noorjahan works with the community, women issues , education. Initially her husband was against her when she came into activism.
Zulekha Jabin is a social activist. She has worked with BMMA an dmany other organizations as well as working independently. She is a fierceless amd prominent voice against every injustice in Chatisgarh as wel as the national level.
Jameela Khan- jameela Khan is the Gujarat Convenor of the BMMA. She is a writer and an active part of all social movements especially regarding the issues of minority women in Gujarat.
Safiya Akhtar- is the convener of Madhya Pradesh unit of BMMA. She works on rights of Muslim women.
Naseem Shaikh- is an activist; She has worked extensively on relief, rehabilitation and for establishing communal harmony. She has worked in Aman samudaya and right now she works with Niswan on the rights of Muslim women.
Seema Siddiqui- Seema is a Public Relations professional who is currently heading the PR and Communications function of a technology MNC based in Gurgaon. She is also a visiting faculty at the Mass Communication Research Center at Jamia Millia Islam University, Delhi. Seema has a Master’s degree in Applied Communication from Coventry University UK. Following the degree she worked in the London, in Social Care, for about 2 years before moving back to India. Seema has also taught in the Aligarh Muslim University in the Department of English, at the beginning of her professional career. Seema comes from the city of Lucknow and lives in Delhi.
Dr Rokeya Begum is a professor in a college in Siliguri., West Bengal.
Zeba Khan- Zeba Khan is from Tonk, Rajasthan. She works on issues related to the rights of women
ANHAD, BMMA, JTSA, JWP, MWF, NFIW, SAHRWARU, UTTHAN, YWCA
