Woman to continue fight for marriage registrar job

A BANGLADESHI woman barred from becoming a marriage registrar because she is a female vowed last Thursday (14) to fight for her dream job after the high court said that women would face “practical difficulties” conducting Islamic weddings.

Ayesha Siddiqua has waged a six-year battle with authorities to become a registrar, culminating in last week’s knockback from the high court, which she plans to appeal.

“I was very sad when the verdict was announced. We have women working in all sectors, including the police,” Siddiqua told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Why can’t they become registrars?” the 39-year-old said by phone from her home in Phulbari, northern Bangladesh.

“This is not just about me. I see so many other women who have finished their Alim (exams), but they are just sitting without jobs. So I want to continue this challenge.”

The high court verdict, released last week, cited a raft of practical hindrances to any woman being a registrar, be it crossing waterways to conduct weddings or not being able to enter mosques during menstruation. Islamic weddings in Bangladesh are conducted by regional registrars appointed by government.

It is not illegal for a woman to become a marriage registrar – but there are no women doing the job in Bangladesh.

All registrars must graduate from a recognised madrasa or Islamic school and live in the region where they would work. Siddiqua fulfilled all those requirements so her rebuff on “practical” grounds angered women’s rights groups.

Bangladesh’s law minister refused to comment, saying that he had not read the full verdict yet.