In a time when silence was expected, Khatijun Nissa Siraj raised her voice. In a world that demanded obedience from women, she gave them choices. In a society where Muslim women were systematically denied justice, she built institutions of redress. Born in 1925 into privilege, Khatijun could have led a life of quiet comfort. But she chose, instead, the winding path of activism—a path that would change the lives of generations of women in Singapore.
Khatijun Nissa Siraj: A Quiet Observation Sparks a Storm
Raised in a prominent Indian-Muslim family in Singapore, Khatijun Nissa Siraj was never short of opportunity. Yet, as she volunteered at St. Andrew’s Mission Hospital and contributed to organizations like the Singapore Children’s Society and the Family Planning Association, a troubling pattern emerged—she was often the only Muslim woman in the room.
This realization hit hard. Important decisions affecting women were being made, but the voices of Muslim women were missing entirely. And with their absence came a dangerous void—one that left countless women vulnerable to systemic neglect.
But Khatijun wasn’t someone who accepted the status quo.
A Grassroots Movement is Born
In 1952, Khatijun gathered 21 other brave Muslim women from various backgrounds. Together, they formed the Young Women’s Muslim Association, or Persatuan Permudi Islam Singapura (PPIS). This wasn’t just a club or a social group. This was a revolutionary force.
At the time, Muslim women in Singapore were at the mercy of exploitative divorce practices. A man could divorce his wife for just $90 over three months. There was no legal requirement to notify the wife, no need for her consent, and the husband could remarry immediately. Women were left without financial support or legal protection. Many had no idea they were even divorced until it was too late.
PPIS changed that. Led by Khatijun Nissa Siraj, the organization began lobbying legislators, confronting legal loopholes, and amplifying the voices of abandoned wives and silenced daughters. Their perseverance paid off.
The Syariah Court: A Monument of Justice
In 1958, after years of relentless advocacy, Singapore established the Syariah Court—a landmark victory for Muslim women. This institution had jurisdiction over Muslim marriages and divorces and could order husbands to provide alimony and seek the consent of the first wife before entering into a polygamous marriage.
Who better to walk through its doors first than the very woman who fought for its creation?
Khatijun Nissa Siraj became the court’s first caseworker, and later its first female counselor. She wasn’t just handling paperwork—she was listening to the cries of women who had been ignored for far too long. Her first year saw hundreds of cases. Heartbreaks, betrayals, and injustice walked into her office every day, and she met each one with a calm resolve and a will to serve.
Real Change Requires Real Sacrifice
Despite her affluent background, Khatijun Nissa Siraj took on emotionally grueling work for modest compensation. Her motivation wasn’t financial; it was moral. She described the work as “horrible” not because she regretted it, but because it revealed the magnitude of suffering that had long gone unseen.
Khatijun Nissa Siraj recalled, “It was hard work because we were the pioneers. Many women came to the court because their husbands had remarried and left them penniless. These women had nowhere else to go.”
Her advocacy didn’t stop at the courtroom. In 1964, she founded the Muslim Women’s Welfare Council, offering free legal, medical, and charitable services to marginalized women. Through this, she extended her reach beyond the courtroom into homes, clinics, and shelters.
The Strength Behind the Scenes
Throughout her journey, Khatijun Nissa Siraj faced resistance, even from within the community she sought to uplift. Some women were discouraged from joining PPIS for fear of retaliation by their husbands. But Khatijun, with gentle courage, reminded them: “If you are afraid, you won’t be able to do many things.”
Some women listened. Others didn’t. But the seed of empowerment had been planted.
In her later years, Khatijun Nissa Siraj continued her work at the Social Welfare Department and the Singapore Council of Social Services, always maintaining her focus on uplifting women and girls.
A Lasting Legacy
In 2014, her decades of service were formally honored when she was inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations. But no award could truly capture the depth of her impact.
When Khatijun Nissa Siraj passed away on 7 March 2023 at the age of 97, Singapore mourned the loss of a pioneer, a peacemaker, and a warrior for justice. But her story—of defiance, of purpose, of love for her community—remains etched in the nation’s soul.
Khatijun Nissa Siraj was not just a mother to her daughter, law professor Mehrun Siraj, or grandmother to celebrated actor-director Huzir Sulaiman. She was a mother figure to a generation of Muslim women who finally found their voices because she refused to be quiet.
Also Read : Thirugnana Sampanthar Sinnathuray: An Inspirational Journey from War-Torn Youth to High Court Judge