Dr. Noorjehan Safia Niaz is a distinguished Indian social activist and a leading figure in the movement for Muslim women’s rights. As the co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), she has been instrumental in challenging patriarchal interpretations of Islam and advocating for gender justice within both religious and secular legal systems. Her work, spanning nearly three decades, combines grassroots mobilisation, legal reform, and the creation of revolutionary institutions.
Dr. Niaz’s journey is anchored in a strong academic foundation, holding a Master of Social Work from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and a Ph.D. in Sociology. Her career began in community development, but it was her work on Muslim personal law reform that defined her path. In 2007, she co-founded BMMA with Zakia Soman, building it into a formidable, secular, rights-based mass organisation with over 100,000 members across 15 states. BMMA focuses on systemic change in the areas of education, health, livelihood, security, and legal reform.
Her most significant contributions lie in legal advocacy. Dr. Niaz was a central petitioner in the historic Supreme Court case that led to the 2017 ban on instant triple talaq. BMMA’s campaign, which included gathering 50,000 signatures from Muslim women and men, provided crucial grassroots support for the legal challenge. The court’s verdict declared the practice unconstitutional, impacting the lives of millions. A year earlier, in 2016, she and BMMA successfully challenged the ban on women entering the sanctum sanctorum of Mumbai’s Haji Ali Dargah. The Bombay High Court and later the Supreme Court upheld their plea, affirming that the ban violated constitutional principles of equality and freedom of religion.
Dr. Niaz’s vision extends beyond litigation to creating alternative structures for justice. A groundbreaking achievement was the establishment of Darul Uloom Niswaan in 2016, an institution dedicated to training women as qazis (Islamic judges). The first batch of 15 women qazis graduated in 2017, a historic moment in Indian Islamic jurisprudence. These women now solemnise marriages and provide legal counsel, embedding a gender-just perspective within the community. Complementing this is the network of Auraton ki Shariah Adalat (Women’s Sharia Courts) run by BMMA, which offers alternative dispute resolution from an Islamic feminist standpoint.
Her activism is deeply informed by research. National studies conducted by BMMA, such as one revealing that 92% of Muslim women wanted a ban on triple talaq, provided the empirical evidence needed to substantiate her campaigns. Her publications include a draft Indian Muslim Family Act, advocating for the codification of personal laws.
Born into a liberal and educated Muslim family, Dr. Niaz’s commitment was galvanised by witnessing the plight of poor Muslims during the 1992-93 Mumbai riots. Her philosophy is rooted in Islamic feminism, arguing that the Quran grants women rights that have been denied by patriarchal systems. She advocates for reclaiming religion from these forces and views the Quran and the Indian Constitution as complementary frameworks for securing justice. Her guiding principle, “Jiski ladai uski agwai” (Those who fight should lead their own battles), underscores her belief in the leadership of Muslim women in their own struggle. Dr. Niaz’s ongoing vision is the codification of a comprehensive Muslim family law that ensures equality in marriage, divorce, inheritance, and custody, continuing her tireless work to build a more just and equitable society.