Muslim women seek new paths for empowerment

Most of the successful entrepreneurs present at the event said they were not born with the skills required for making it big in the field.
Salma Moosa
Salma Moosa

BENGALURU: Even as the country is divided over the Citizenship Amendment Act, with a large section of people calling it an ‘anti-Muslim’ step, Muslim women of Bengaluru got together on Saturday to find ways of taking the entrepreneurship path to self-empowerment, through which they “want to contribute to the nation’s progress”. To assist them in this endeavour, Muslim Industrialists Association held a panel discussion between successful women entrepreneurs of the community and the concerned government officers.

Among those present at the event, which saw the launch of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs, was retired IAS officer Md Sanaullah, who brought the attention of the crowd to the small percentage representation of the community in the country’s administrative services, and exhorted them to take up the civil service exams at the centre and state level. He added that fitting into the country’s administrative system is what is required for empowerment of the women of minority communities, and pointed out the challenges on the path. “Annually, around 5,00,000 aspirants across the country appear, 8-10,000 clear the first hurdle, 1,000 make it to the interview round, and finally 80 get the honour to serve India. This could even take three attempts, but eventually becomes worth your while,” the former principal secretary in the state said.

He added that Delhi is the place to go to for coaching for the exams, since better centres are available there. “Government of Karnataka encourages worthy candidates by sponsoring up to `3 lakh, that it costs for someone to study for the competitive examination,” he said.

Most of the successful entrepreneurs present at the event said they were not born with the skills required for making it big in the field. “Life puts you in a trying situation, to get out of which one develops skills. You need to recognise what will work for you and passionately follow it,” said Salma Moosa, founder of Startups Club, which she launched when her relationship with her husband soured.

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