India's youngest female Muslim MP Iqra Hasan is also a feminist
Undoubtedly, Iqra inherited the political legacy from her family but it is evident that her relentless efforts and dedication on the ground played a crucial role in her success, making her win a testament to her individual merit and hard work.
In the recent 18th Lok Sabha Election, India has witnessed emergence of young and dynamic MPs from different parties and states, which bodes well for the Indian democracy. One of these young Parliamentarians is Choudhary Iqra Hasan, who made history by becoming the youngest Muslim female MP to enter the Parliament. Winning from Kairana Lok Sabha Constituency in Western Uttar Pradesh, Iqra’s victory generated significant buzz on social media.
Undoubtedly, Iqra inherited the political legacy from her family but it is evident that her relentless efforts and dedication on the ground played a crucial role in her success, making her win a testament to her individual merit and hard work.
Iqra Hasan, a third-generation politician from the Hasan family, defeated the incumbent BJP MP Pradeep Kumar in the Kairana Constituency by a significant margin of 69,116 votes. What was particularly surprising and shocking to many was that, despite the extensive campaigning by prominent BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Chief Minister Yogi for Pradeep Kumar, Iqra Hasan managed to secure her victory without any notable figures supporting her campaign. Utilising her ‘sole strategy’ and ‘walk alone’ approach, she worked on the ground and engaged directly with the people, achieving a remarkable win that left the BJP astonished.
Iqra Hasan Family Background
Choudhary Iqra Hasan or Iqra Munawwar Hasan, was born into an influential Muslim-Gujjar family in Muzaffarnagar (of which Kairana was originally a part before being included in the newly formed Shamli district in 2012).
Iqra’s father, Munawwar Hasan Sahab, was a prominent political figure, having served as a Member of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and as a member of the state legislative assembly in 1991 and 1993, working with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
[Iqra Hasan with her mother Tabassum Hasan in a file photo.]
Iqra’s mother, Begum Tabassum Hasan, also served as an MP, elected in 2009 from the BSP and again in 2018 from the RLD in a bypoll election.
Iqra’s elder brother, Choudhary Nahid Hasan, is a three-term incumbent MLA from the Kairana Vidhan Sabha constituency. In 1984, her grandfather, Akhtar Hasan, made history by winning the Kairana Lok Sabha election on Congress ticket, defeating BSP Chief Mayawati in her debut Lok Sabha election.
Iqra Hasan Education
Since her childhood, Generation Z parliamentarian Iqra Hasan, studied away from home and living in girls’ hostels. She completed her secondary education at Queen Mary School in Delhi and graduated with LLB degree from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University (DU).
For her postgraduate studies, she went to London and completed MSc in International Law and Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2020.
Political Career
During the second wave of COVID-19, Iqra Hasan returned home from London, marking a turning point in her life and providing her with an opportunity to enter politics at an early age.
Upon her return, her elder brother, Nahid Hasan, was imprisoned on what were believed to be false charges. Iqra worked tirelessly to secure his release while simultaneously campaigning for him in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha election. Due to her hard work and dedication, her brother won the election and became an MLA again, despite being in jail.
This accomplishment inspired many and was a significant factor in her decision to run for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. However, her political career actually began in 2016 when she contested a Zila Panchayat election, though she did not win.
In an interview with the Lallantop News Channel, Iqra said:
“I have been very interested in politics since my childhood, having grown up seeing my family involved in it, but I never expected to enter electoral politics so early. I always wanted to pursue academics and become a professor or educator. In fact, I intended to return to London for my PhD but couldn’t because of the pandemic and the responsibilities that arose from my return.”
Before this Lok Sabha election, Iqra gained attention in 2019 when a picture of her protesting against the CAA and NRC in front of the Indian High Commission in London went viral. At that time, no one anticipated that she would soon become a member of the Indian Parliament.
"A strategic feminist"
SOAS alum Iqra’s inspirations include her late father, who was a very hardworking person and served the people sincerely and honestly. She was inspired by hearing stories about her father directly from people while campaigning and engaging with them, as he had passed away in a road accident near Palwal in the state of Haryana.
Her brother was also an inspiration to her. During the process of trying to secure her brother’s release from jail, she met Kapil Sibal, the current president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, a few times, and he also inspired her greatly. As Iqra shared this in an interview with India Today news channel. Describing herself as a ‘strategic feminist', Iqra says:
“I’m a feminist, but that doesn’t mean I need to declare it openly. Coming from a traditional, conservative, and patriarchal Muslim family, I have different approaches to working for women’s rights.”
She has promised to work extensively for women’s empowerment, upliftment of backward classes, and to promote and facilitate higher education for young girls.
Also Read: Odisha’s 1st Muslim Woman MLA Sofia Firdous's Rich Profile Makes Wave
The journey of 29-year-old Iqra Hasan from Kairana in Western Uttar Pradesh to becoming the youngest Muslim female MP has been nothing short of remarkable, shattering glass ceilings and inspiring countless young girls to pursue their dreams of serving society.
India needs young, educated, and forward-thinking parliamentarians like Iqra, who are deeply rooted in the Indian culture yet are modern in their outlook, able to understand the present and advocate for students and systemic reforms.
As an ardent admirer, I extend my heartfelt best wishes to Iqra for her future endeavours in the House and eagerly look forward to witnessing her impactful contributions in the Parliament.
[The writer, Uzair Ahmed, is a student of Darul Huda Islamic University, PG Block in Dept. of Civilizational Studies. He hails from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. He can be contaced via smail: uzairahmedup892@gmail.com.]
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