Muslim Perspectives

With the Maharashtra government banning dance bars in the state, Muslim bar girls are heading towards prostitution or massage parlours to earn and feed their families.


With the Maharashtra government banning dance bars in the state, Muslim bar girls are either heading southwards, Hyderabad to be precise or doing Private shows, Stage performances, Massage parlours, B-grade Bollywood films, Escort services or prostitution.


Last year, there was an effort on the part of Muslim social and welfare organisations to reform and rehabilitate the Muslim bar girls, but this time, the community is pre-occupied with the relief and rehabilitation, post 26th July, heavy rains in Mumbai. One thing which is common to majority of the Muslim bar girls is that they are the sole bread earners of the family and have no savings. Most of them do not know whether they will be able to earn a decent living. ‘‘Main Kya kaam karungi Nahin Pata? (What I will do I don’t know?),’’ says Naseem (20). She is among the hundreds of Muslim bar girls who danced for a living. Like so many of the bar girls here, Naseem is not from Mumbai. She came here three years ago leaving behind a family in Kolkata.


She worked at a public phone booth in Borivali for a year, but that did not bring enough money for herself, let alone her dependant family in Kolkata. One day, she overheard some bar girls talking to their clients on the phone at her booth and they became friends—and then colleagues. ‘‘Mere ghar mein koi aur kaam nahi karta (No one else works in my family),” says Abida (24) crying. She speaks the fears of bar dancers everywhere in the city Still sobbing, she’s led away by another dancer Rubina (23), who she clings to. ‘‘Arre, itni bahadur bachchi, aise kaise ro rahi hai? Hum kuch karenge na (Such a brave girl, how can you cry like this? Don’t worry, we’ll do something),’’Rubina says.


The Maharashtra Assembly had unanimously passed the controversial Bill banning dance bars across the state. Deputy Chief Minister, R R Patil said that bar girls themselves were competent to undertake their own rehabilitation. He said, “People are using bar girls as a shield to protect their own interests. However, while enforcing the ban, the government will not adopt a cruel attitude. It will provide employment to these bar girls on the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) projects and help them start self-help groups and also provide loans for setting up their own industry,” he said.


Many Muslim bar girls are approaching travel agents. Many are busy signing contracts with bars in the UAE, Bangkok, Singapore, Canada, London and Australia. Says Fazal Ahmed, travel agent from south Mumbai, “I have already received 250 artist visa applications and around 2,000-odd passport applications from bar girls in the past week. They are trying to get two to three month performance visas to various countries.” Not all bar girls will be able to travel abroad, though. “We forward the details of these girls to hoteliers abroad and they get back to us with details of the contract,” said Satish Shah of R K Travels, Andheri. Bar girl Tahira said, “I have performed thrice in the UAE. She expects to earn around Rs 60,000 on a two-month trip. Shabana, another dancer, flew to Dubai. “Private performances with sizzling Bollywood numbers and old mujra tracks are gaining popularity in places like Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, London and Australia,” said Raunak.


Reshma who has been a bar dancer for eight years, said, “I have no option, but to perform for select customers and charge big amounts as I am the only breadwinner in my family. It is a shame that the state government is forcing women like me to take to prostitution.” “Hamare pet pe laath maar ke kya mila R R Patil ko,” said Reshma.


“What I earn now is not sufficient to feed my family. The ban will starve us to death,” said Sazia. “Jab hum subah ghar jaate hain kama ke, tab dairy se hum bachon ke liye doodh lete hain. Sarkar ne humko bhooka marne ka irada kar liya hai. (I eat from what I earn everyday. God will never forgive the government. I will have to go back to my village and look for a job).”


It is not only the question of few Muslim bar girls. It indicates the socio-economic condition of the deprived section of community. Even the mainstream community organisations are not willing to touch the Muslim bar girl issue even with a barge pole.


Community must look into such issues no matter how uncomfortable they are. No wonder there is increase in the number of Muslim prostitutes in Mumbai. We need to focus more on the issues which affect the moral fabric of the community and debate the concrete steps for the socio economic upliftment of the deprived section so that innocent Muslim girls are not forced to sell their body to keep body and soul together.