Hyderabad : The Shaheen Bagh protest has become a powerful symbol of resistance in modern India, transforming the narrative around Muslim women and their role in activism. The peaceful sit-in, which lasted from December 2019 to March 2020, saw women—mostly Muslim, including grandmothers like Bilquis— take to the streets in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Population Register (NPR) . What made this movement unique was its leadership: women who had often been stereotyped as passive or marginalized, stepping forward to challenge an exclusionary law.
Bilquis, one of the elderly women who became the face of the protest, even made it to Time magazine’s 2020 list of the 100 most influential people . She, along with other women from Shaheen Bagh, demolished the myths about Muslim women being submissive or confined to the domestic sphere. Their presence on the protest frontlines was not just a rejection of unjust laws but also a statement of empowerment.
This movement also ignited a wave of protest poetry, often referred to as ‘inqilabi shayeri’. Poets, including women writers, inspired by the spirit of the protest, began crafting powerful verses that captured the emotions, struggles, and hopes of the movement. This poetry provided the fuel to sustain the energy and resolve of the protestors, articulating a collective voice against oppression.
The verses became anthems, blending resistance with creativity and lending the protest a cultural.