Sheeba Aslam Fehmi
| Sheeba Aslam Fehmi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Sheeba Aslam Fehmi June 30, 1971 Kanpur |
| Residence | New Delhi |
| Nationality |
 |
| Citizenship |
|
| Education | M.Phil |
| Alma mater | Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi |
| Occupation | feminist writer & Journalist |
| Years active | 2009-date |
| Known for | Indian Muslim women scholar; dissertation on "Human Rights And Multiculturalism: A Study of Legal Cases Involving Muslim Women" |
| Notable work | Monthly column Gender Jihad |
| Home town | Kanpur, India |
| Website |
www |
Sheeba Aslam Fehmi is a feminist writer and journalist in India, and one of the Indian Muslim women scholars who write on Islam (among other issues). She has edited a political monthly Headline Plus and has been the managing editor of a daily newspaper and a magazine. She has also written in major dailies and magazines. Sheeba has written on following on subjects;
- Gender-just understandings of Islam
- Articulating equality for Muslim women using out of context Quranic arguments.
- She has a regular column titled Gender Jihad since Feb 09. This column is published monthly in "Hans"; a Hindi literary magazine.
Belief
"My reading of the Quran leads me to believe that Islam stands for justice, that God, as described in the Quran, is Perfect Justice. I can find no verse in the Quran that is anti-women. From this it necessarily follows that Islam cannot be anti-women".[1]
Early life
Sheeba Fehmi was born in middle-class family in North India. Her parents had keen interest in Indian politics. Her father served in Ministry of Defense while her mother was a teacher by profession and a staunch communist. As a child, Sheeba was more inclined towards documentaries rather than regular entertainment.
Her parent's divorce and her "lack of knowledge about rights that Muslim women have in Islam" aspired her to be an activist.[1]
Inspiration
Sheeba Fehmi was greatly inspired by her mother’s life experiences. She believed that her mother's story was the similar to that of many women in male dominated societies in Middle East and South Asia. She also believed that many religious leaders deform the teachings of Islam to suit themselves. Sheeba therefore decided to improve her understanding of the Quran so that she can articulate the equality of Muslim women and men better in Islam.
This determined her future education.[2]
Educational background
Sheeba Fehmi did her Master of Philosophy from the Centre for Political Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Her thesis was on "Human Rights And Multiculturalism: A Study of Legal Cases Involving Muslim Women".
Sheeba Fehmi is studying to be a Doctor of Philosophy at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her project is on absence of a visible Muslim women’s movement in post 1947 India.