The System of Mushawarat in Jama'at-e-Ahmadiyya — Page 175
T he S ystem of M ushawarat in J ama ‘ at - e -A hmadiyya year, so that we can reach a definite conclusion. ” [Report Majlis-e~Shura 1928, pp. 141-144] In accordance with this decision of Hadrat Musleh-e- M au‘udra, the issue o f representation o f women was taken up for deliberation in Majlis-e-Shura 1929. Dele gates made forceful speeches both for and against the proposal. After listening to the arguments from both sides, Hudur said: “In order to include everyone present, let me say this very clearly that the women have given in writing that they should also be allowed to express their opinions. I had told them that if any o f them wishes to say some thing about their rights, and desires to be included in the consultations, or is w illing to say something on behalf o f her fraternity, I w ill give her a chance to do so. Their re-. ply was that none o f them wanted to say anything. But I repeat that if any woman wants to speak, she is welcome to do so. I permit any woman from my fam ily who wants to say something to do so. And if she is from some other family, she may consider her own good. From the reli gious point o f view , there is nothing wrong in a woman addressing men. Hadrat ‘Ayeshara used to stand up and deliver lectures, as she did during the Battle o f Siffin and on other occasions. Today, in a manner, w e are deciding the destiny o f womankind. Any woman who wants to speak can do so, and if they do not speak, two conclu sions w ill be drawn from their silence: Delegates who are against the representation o f women w ill say that if women cannot speak about their own rights, how can they be expected to speak about other important matters? W hile others can say that the women are in fact testing 175