Women of Nepal

Mohamadi Siddiki

Member of the Constituent Assembly, the Nepali Congress
Member of Minority and Marginalized Committee

Born in 1958 in Gorakhpur (India)  

Mohamadi Siddiki is a woman's rights activist and social worker who works for Muslim women in Nepalgunj of Banke district in mid-western Nepal. Before becoming a member of the Constituent Assembly, she was president of the non-government organization (NGO) Phatima Foundation, established with her efforts in Nepalganj in 2004 with the purpose to raise awareness of Muslim women in the community. Mohamadi established this NGO to give social justice to Muslim women, as well as abolish wrong ideas in the Muslim community, such as that they should not study in a college, should not work in an office, should not actively participate in social works and should not go to the police and courts seeking justice.

Phatima Foundation carried out the civil awakening program to explain the rights Islam gave women, through which training was given to 30 Muslim women, who then went on to give training to hundreds more women. Mohamadi involved both political and religious leaders in Nepalganj in this awakening program. "This program actually not only contributed in increasing awareness of Muslim women on their own rights, but also changed the way of viewing women in Muslim society," she says.

Mohamadi was born in India's Gorakhpur in 1958 to father Nur Mohamad Siddiki and mother Habibun Nisha. There was a deep understanding between her father and mother. Although her mother was uneducated, she was intelligent and disciplined enough to understand society.

Although an old house belonging to his parents was in Koilavas of Dang district, Nur Mohamad studied English and Persian language in Gorakhpur under the rule of the British. He worked as a clerk in a railway company in Gorakhpur. In those days he used to get a monthly salary of 500 Indian rupees which he would spend looking after his big family, consisting of his mother, his brother, his wife, his three sons and four daughters. Siddiki was the eldest of seven children.

Siddiki's father was a man with progressive thoughts who believed in Islam. In his office, corruption was part of daily life, but he thought he should not eat even a single paan without worrying it was a bribe. His friends used to leave their gold jewelry and important documents with him for security. His company gave him an award for his honesty. After being promoted to an officer position he retired. Because Siddiki was brought up closely with her father she was affected by her father's thoughts, behaviors and lifestyle.    

Siddiki learnt how to read at home. When she was seven years old she had already read the Koran. After learning reading and writing she was admitted by her father to the third grade in Imamvada Muslim Girls School in Gorakhpur. As she could study well she skipped a grade and joined the fifth grade. As her father himself was well-educated he wanted to give all his children a good education. But as his economic condition was not good it was difficult for him to send all his children to school. In those days a notebook cost four Ana. When Siddiki used up her notebook and asked her father to buy another one, he used to question whether she had really used up all the available space.  

Siddiki's father took care of her very well. She still remembers how her father took her to school, put her socks and shoes on her feet and cleaned her clothes. Her father was a progressive Muslim who believed parents should give their daughters a good education as well. Siddiki's family fought over the issue of sending her to school. Her grandfather and uncle did not want to send her to school but her parents refused to listen. Siddiki became the first girl to attend school in her community.    

Siddiki's class mates would tease her, calling her "Billiki aankha (cat eyes)" on account of her brown eyes. She hated being teased in that way and cried when she returned home. But her father would help appease her, saying he would go to school to ask those class mates to stop teasing her. All her family members loved Siddiki, who was a simple and gentle girl who never quarreled with others, calling her "Baby". 

When she passed her SLC (School Leaving Certificate) she was 15 years old. She had a dream to be a doctor in the future and had taken Science classes since the ninth grade. But because of her family's poor economic situation she had to give up her dream, though retained the courage to continue her studies alone.

When Siddiki was in the eighth grade her parents had already begun to look for her bridegroom. After passing her SLC, at the age of 16, she married a man her parents selected. In those days, it was not customary to see and talk with a future husband before marriage. She only knew her bridegroom's name was Mohammad Suleman Siddiki, aged 25 or 26 and lived in Nepalganj. He had a Bachelor's degree and his father possessed a cloth shop as well as land and a house in Nepalganj. Siddiki's parents chose him for their daughter as he was well-educated and the economic situation of his family was good.

Her husband always came home late at night. Siddiki didn't know much of his work for several years after their marriage. After pestering him with questions she came to know her husband was involved in politics. Her husband spent most of his time at the houses of then outlawed local Nepali Congress leaders, such as Sushil Koirala and Sarbaghya Man Shrestha. Hearing about 'democracy' from her husband, Siddiki became interested in politics. 

Since the time of the Panchayat regime, Siddiki's husband was fully involved in politics as an activist of the Nepali Congress. He used to help pass information between national level leaders, such as Girija Prasad Koirala and Ganeshman Singh, and local leaders. In those days people didn't show respect to those who worked in political parties. Siddiki says, "Some people used to call the persons who worked for the Nepali Congress 'Kangresi Chor! (Congress thief!)'. My brother-in-law who was a lawyer as well as a Panchayat supporter was respected by the people. But my husband strongly believed democracy would come in this country some day. He never used a pillow when he slept, telling that he could be arrested at any time."

Within two years after getting married Siddiki bore her first son followed by another son and a daughter. Most of her time was spent cooking, washing and taking care of her children and her in-laws. As her husband was busy in politics and she was always engaged in domestic shores, Siddiki spent little time with him, something she regrets now.

Like usual Nepali husbands Siddiki's husband never bought her lipsticks, shoes or other such extravagances, but she never blamed him as she understood he had no income and was not on in a position to do so.

After the political change of 1990, Siddiki's husband helped her come out of her house. Although women of the Muslim community had to wear a burka her husband told her to wear only a shawl. He introduced her to Shanta Thapaliya, a lawyer and woman leader who has worked in the field of women's rights for a long time in a program in Nepalganj. He also introduced his wife to senior leader of the Nepali Congress and president of the women's organization Mangaladevi Singh. In this way Siddiki slowly established her political contacts. "I have no remorse for what I did and what I am doing now. Women in my community still wear burkas, but I don't. It was my husband who showed me the road I took," Siddiki says.  

Siddiki's husband spent all his life in politics, but had never been given a high position in his party. "I feel now I could have harvested the crops that my husband planted."  

Her husband died suddenly of a heart attack in March 1991 at the age of 42, making Siddiki a widow when she was only 31 years old. She faced deep sorrow and challenges. After her husband death she followed Islamic custom and didn't leave her house for four months and 13 days.

After that she had two main purposes in life - to raise her three children and fulfill her husband's will. While he was alive, Siddiki's husband used to stress the need to bring democracy in Nepal and do something for the Muslim community as his community is still backward. As democracy had already been brought to Nepal by the People's Movement in 1990, only his dream of contributing to the Muslim community remains. Siddiki decided to come out of her house in order to fulfill her husband's dream. Although her brother-in-law and her community opposed her decision, her mother-in-law always supported her.    

First, Siddiki attended training organized by 'Nari Bikas' to learn tailoring. The president of Nari Bikas, Purnamati Sherchan, eagerly tried to involve Siddiki in politics. Siddiki had already got party membership of the Nepali Congress in 1991. In the local election of 1992 her party gave her a ticket to contest for the seat of a president of ward 4 in Nepalganj. She won by obtaining the majority of votes.

In the 1997 local election, she gave her candidacy for seat of deputy mayor of Nepalganj, but was defeated by a candidate of the CPN (UML). Even after this bitter experience she has never given up her works as a social worker. She had also continued her involvement in the Nepali Congress, becoming a member of the party's General Committee in 1997 as well as a Central Committee member of the party's women's organization, in which she now holds the post of advisor. She played an important role in the People's Movement of 2006, in which a huge number of women, both from Muslim and other communities led by Siddiki, came to the streets of Nepalganj to protest against the king's move.

When she began as a social worker Siddiki faced many challenges. When she established Phatima Foundation and began campaigning to make Muslim women come out of their houses, religious leaders in Nepalganj suspected her of standing against Islam. Siddiki invited Ujma, who obtained a doctorate on Islam from Aligad University in India, to Nepalganj to give training to Muslim women on women's rights in Islam. When daily newspaper Kantipur published an article on this training, local Muslim leaders demanded an explanation. She spent eight to ten months convincing those leaders she did not stand against Islam, but rather advocated on issues of education, jobs and health for Muslim women. She has not yet been able to convince all of them.   

At present Phatima Foundation has seven branches in Nepalganj, Parsa, Bara, Bardiya, Kapilbastu, Kailali and Surkhet. The foundation has contributed a lot to raise the awareness of Muslim women and change the views of Muslim society towards them.

Siddiki had a dream to study at university level. She finally fulfilled her dream after becoming a grandmother to four grandchildren. Joining Tribhuvan University after a five year struggle of studying alone at home, Siddiki finally received her Bachelor's degree in English and Sociology in 2008.

Last year the Nepali Congress elected Siddiki as a member of the Constituent Assembly for the proportional representatives. Siddiki became one of five Muslim women in the CA representing various political parties. In the CA she has been raising her voice against discrimination of not only Muslim women, but the poor and marginalized in general. She believes she can certainly contribute in writing a new constitution that addresses all marginalized women of Nepal.

Written by Sangeeta Lama