Some women calling themselves Sahiyo and pretending to be Dawoodi
Bohra have taken to lobbying these days, calling for change to Rasulullah’s
shariat which they find to not appeal to their modern senses.
Out of pure objectivity one may want to hear them out. But there is not a shred of authenticity
among this dubious cast of characters.
For starters let’s be clear that Dawoodi Bohras are not an ethnic
group or a social club. They are defined
to be the followers of the Dai al-Mutlaq who is presently Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin.
Interestingly, in their “About Us” section, not a single founder of sahiyo
claims to be a follower of Mufaddal Moula.
In an interview Aarefa Johari, one of the founders of Sahiyo,
declared: “I am not a religious person and have disconnected myself from
the community in many ways.” She went on
to say that, “Religions serve to disempower women, even if they claim
otherwise, because pretty much all religions are rooted in patriarchy.”
Mariya Taher, another co-founder, claims she “represents the
Dawoodi Bohra Muslim diaspora community.” However, in an interview she implies
she is not a part of the community, saying she was initially concerned about
going public, “not because of concerns for myself but more so for my family [and]
about any potential backlash they might face from the community that they
belong to.”
Like Johari and Taher, Insia Dariwala and Shaheeda Tavawalla-Kirtane, the other founders of Sahiyo, are not registered as members of the community.
As for Priya Goswami, it need hardly be mentioned she is not
Muslim.
On a side note, TF, KQ's son and successor, with his 10 followers became
a beacon of hope for sahiyo when he went on record in May 2016 in a sensationalist
Indian tabloid and declared blatantly: “I unequivocally condemn [Khafz because
it is] an un-Islamic and horrific practice.”
Seems like TF believes he has surpassed Rasulullah in ilm and hikmat so
that he knows how to improve the shariat. One must hope and pray that the Pied Piper of Thane will lead all the rats away.
Anyway, coming back to Sahiyo...
The group’s claim that it has a tide of support from Dawoodi Bohras
is hogwash. A quick analysis of their
supporter names shows the overwhelming majority is non-Muslim, a fact the group
has conveniently forgotten to mention.
Simply put, these women are untruthful, ill-intentioned, and
disingenuous. Their object of contention
is not religious practices but religion, and in their goal to discredit Islam the vultures have banded
together.
But as someone said, don’t play dead with vultures because that is exactly what they want.
But as someone said, don’t play dead with vultures because that is exactly what they want.
Game on Sahiyo.
