SIRAJ2/4 No Rights at All
Channel: 50FACES
Date: 2014-11-08

Many women were prone to physical abuse by men as they were viewed as weak and docile. Such women helplessly suffered without recourse, as it was difficult to punish the men who inflicted such abuse under the Islamic Law then. So Mrs Siraj went to great lengths to raise social awareness about this issue at not just the national level, but also at the global level.

Naturally one would get outraged seeing the suffering women, but Mrs Siraj channeled this outrage into productive avenues by actively involving herself in discussions and debates, and served as a direct source of help to these women.

She was the first female social worker at the Syariah Court in Singapore. She also started the Young Women Muslim Association in 1952 (currently known as PPIS - Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura) to take care of the women’s welfare by empowering them with legal and medical advice to make informed decisions. The Society went on to uplift the lives of many Muslim women.

“If I don’t help my own people, who will?” she says, “It is my foremost duty to ensure their wellbeing.”