India Allocates 1/3 of Parliament Seats to Women

Beyond the Veil| India has passed The Women’s Reservation Bill ‘after unprecedented disruptions and bedlam’ in which seven opposition members were suspended for ‘unruly behavior’ after they continued to squat on the floor for more than three hours.

The legislation has lingered for 14 years and was opposed by several groups, including members of Samajwadi party of Malayam Singh and Rashtriya Janata of Dal of Lalu Prasa.

Leaders and supporters of All India Milli Council, Jamat-e-Islami Hind, Jamat-e-Ulama, Muslim Political Council and several other Muslim organisations staged a silent march here to press their demand against the bill. via AP Pakistan

Passage comes at a time when increasing numbers of India’s Muslim women are being told to get under their burqas by religious authorities. 

Not only will Muslim women be mandated to serve in Parliament, they will not be wearing burqas to work. India’s courts have refused to allow women to vote wearing burqas, mandating that they have a face photo for voting purposes.

This is a historic day for India and for all women in the world, as a potentially great global superpower of the 21st century joins other advanced countries in Scandinavia, Europe and parts of Africa to insure that women serve as lawmakers for citizens.