Asiya Andrabi

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Asiya Andrabi, the leader of Dukhtaran-e-Millat (Daughters of the Nation), is a female fire-brand revolutionary leader in Indian controlled Kashmir, who believes that the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir should accede to Pakistan.

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[edit] Origin of Andrabi

Andrabi is the surname of a Sayyid muslim dynasty in Kashmir. Most of the dynasty's members live at Ratnipora in the Pulwama District,Malaratta area of Srinagar and Kanthapora, Lolab valley in the Kupwara district. The ancestors of these people came from a place in Afghanistan called Andarab [1], meaning "surrounded by water" -- a reference to the river of the same name winding through the valley named Andarab.

[edit] Background

Asiya Andrabi was born in 1963 in Srinagar, India. A daughter of a physician, she wanted to become a scientist. After graduating in Biology, she decided to dedicate herself as a full-time house-wife. During her time at home, she started reading Islamic books and came in contact with few others leaders of her time in and outside Kashmir, which influenced her to join Sho'ba-e-Khawateen (female section) of Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir as an active member.

[edit] Dukhtaran-e-Millat

In 1981, after differences over several issues with the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership, Andrabi decided to form a female only exclusive Islamist organisation called the Dukhtaran-e-Millat. This organisation first started as an Islamic awareness organisation for women. Later on, it started to stage anti-pornography demonstrations in 1987, by defacing scantily dressed women and actresses on posters and advertisements.

In 1990, when the militancy started rolling in the Kashmir Valley, the organisation became banned and went underground. In the early 1990's, she married a member of Kashmiri armed resistance group, Hizbul Mujahideen, named Mohammed Qasim Faktu and subsequently had two sons, one of them named Muhammad bin Qasim.

[edit] Activities

Her organisation is rumoured to be numbered around a couple of hundred members to a thousand. Andrabi formed Dukhtaran-e-Millat for a social cause. The objective was to help Kashmiri women to fight for their rights conferred on them by Islam. She fought for special reservations for women in buses, ostracised families that demanded dowry, and married off poor girls. She staged a rally in March 1987 against pornographic films, when foreign films were being screened all over Srinagar. Dukhtaran-e-Millat cadres carried brushes and cans of paint under their burqas and painted posters showing nudity.

Asiya Andrabi has been arrested and sent to prison on many occasions. The last occasion happened in 2004 and has been placed under house-arrest several times ever since. She wanted liquor shops, cyber cafes and restaurants boasting special seating arrangement for couples to be closed due to immoral activities taking place under the pretext of these arrangements.

In 2006, she initiated an anti-prostitution campaign which later led to uncovering of a high-profile scandal involving many of the top-post government officials including a minister.

[edit] Quotations

I don't believe in Kashmiriyat, I don't believe in nationalism. I believe there are two nations - Muslims and non-Muslims[2]

I'm Andrabi, I'm from the Syed dynasty. I'm not actually Kashmiri, I'm Arab, my ancestors had come from Arabia to Central Asia.[3]

I do not call myself a Pakistani but a Muslim[4]

I would be more than glad to share my house with other wives of Qasim (her husband)[5]

Women look after the kitchen and men are supposed to work[6]

[edit] References

Asiya Andrabi: Warrior in Veil [7]

Interview with Asiya Andrabi [8]

Profile of Asiya Andrabi[9]

Dukhtaran-e-Millat raid on liquor store[10]

Defenders of Morality [11]