ABSTRACT
The contradictory constitutional embrace of formal equality in the “public” sphere and explicit inequality in the “private” sphere of personal law has defi ned the status of Indian Muslim women. Located at the intersection of religion, community and nation, their claims to equal citizenship are undermined by this constitutional contradiction. Muslim women are unequal citizens of postcolonial India: disadvantaged in terms of legal status within the family; they are also disadvantaged as compared to other Indian women with regard to employment and participation in the workforce, literacy and education levels, and political participation, and they live in a greater degree of poverty (Hasan, 2010: 951).1
