Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan
Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan or BMMA (transl. Indian Muslim Women's Movement) is an autonomous, secular, rights-based mass organization led by Zakia Soman which fights for the citizenship rights of the Muslim women in India. The BMMA was formed in January 2011. The organisation is based in Mumbai.
| Abbreviation | BMMA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Focus | Women Empowerment, Poverty Reduction |
| Location | |
Area served | Uttar Pradesh India |
Key people | Zakia Soman, Noorjehan Safia Niaz |
| Website | https://bmmaindia.com/ |
Over 30,000 members have been enrolled in the BMMA in 15 states, over the past six years.
BMMA conducted a Study of Muslim women’s views on reforms in Muslim personal law— 'Seeking Justice Within the Family' across 10 states that revealed that an overwhelming 82% of the over 4,000 women who were surveyed had no property in their name and that 78% were home makers with no income of their own.
“It is quite revealing that 95.5% poor women had not even heard of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, yet the government and the people go by the decisions taken by these self-proclaimed leaders of the Muslim community,’’ said Zakia Soman, co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan.
Noorjehan Safia Niaz, co-founder of the Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) does not support practices such as the hijab and believes that instances where complete strangers — young and old men, and once a younger woman — walk up to her in public and question her choice of dressing with impunity and audacity, violate her personal space.
BMMA has backed Hindu women in the Shani Shingnapur Temple row.