NEW YORK:
An 82-year old Muslim woman who became the face of female-led Shaheen Bagh protests against the controversial citizenship law in India's capital, New Delhi, has been named among the US-based TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2020.
The prestigious publication has named Bilkis - also lovingly referred to as Bilkis Dadi - as one of its 'icons'.
“Bilkis gave hope and strength to activists and student leaders who were being thrown behind bars for standing up for the unpopular truth in a democracy that was sliding into authoritarianism, and inspired peaceful copycat protests across the country,” Indian writer Rana Ayyub wrote for Time’s profile of the elderly protester from Shaheen Bagh.
“Bilkis became the voice of the marginalized in India,” she wrote.
“I will sit here till blood stops flowing in my veins so the children of this country and the world breathe the air of justice and equality,” Bilkis told Ayyub, during the protests, earlier this year.
She added that Bilkis deserved recognition “so the world acknowledges the power of resistance against tyranny”.
According to legal experts, the CAA, which makes faith the basis for acquiring Indian citizenship, goes against the country’s secular constitution, and is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court.
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