September's winning comment was sent in by Alok Amatya of Portland, Oregon. Alok commented on our post Indian Girls Throw Punches at Poverty, and mentions how boxing is opening new avenues for and instilling self-confidence in Muslim women in India. For being chosen as this month's winner, Alok will get $25 to donate to the cause of his choice through Global Giving.

The WSJ article about Muslim girls from India taking up boxing was a very well written one. It puts in perspective the kind of social conservativeness that Muslim women like Ms Fatma have to battle to achieve self-actualization through a sport like boxing that her neighbors deem fit for boys only.

Traditional gender barriers prevent women like Ms Fatma from challenging the male social supremacy that reserves positions of any power or prestige for men, thus leaving for women only domestic chores and odd jobs like sewing, and lowering the female self esteem.

A sport like boxing is a compromise really—by pursuing it, the Muslim women does not challenge the economic supremacy of the male in the family, i.e. the father or the husband. Yet the value of the self-confidence inspired in women by being good at a complex sport—and at that, one presumed by their society to be fit exclusively for males—is immense.

It is very heartening to read about the fathers of women like Ms Fatma and Ms Shabnam standing up against social pressure for the sake of their daughters’ emotional and social well-being. Perhaps such fathers have understood that only feeding and clothing their daughters does not making them complete human beings. Also heartening to read is that women from these societies who excel at sports can not only take part in tournaments at various levels, but are also invited to join the police force or the railway because of their talent. Such a segway into other occupations traditionally reserved for men might inspire a wider social change, that would finally benefit both women and men.

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Boxing is opening new doors for some Muslim girls from India. Photo: flickr(slack12)

An article in Friday's Wall Street Journal looks at how boxing is giving Muslim girls in India an alternative to their "practically scripted" life.

For many of these girls, the Wall Street Journal says life goes like this: "they stay home, help their mothers, and get married so they aren't a burden to their families anymore."

Sabihal Hussain, a women's studies professor at a New Delhi university explains how boxing is opening up new doors for the girls.

They find (boxing) as a way of coming out from conservativeness. They have very limited role — poor Muslim women — in the public sphere. So thes women, these boxers, they find a way to come out and this is an outlet for them to fight poverty.

The boxers train hard and those that are good enough to compete internationally, fight for cash prizes. But for many girls, boxing can be a gateway into a job with the the police or land them a college scholarship for a spot on the university sports team.

Training midwives in Afghanistan. Fighting for women's equality. Lending money to poor people in Madagascar. These are among a number of honorable undertakings led by Muslim charities every day.

But following the September 11th attacks, many Muslim charities were accused of supporting terrorist groups and investigated by the U.S. government in what one critic called "a witch hunt."

"Government actions have resulted in program cutbacks and increased fear of speaking out on important public issues," said Kay Guinane with the watchdog group Office of Management and Budget Watch.

Nearly seven years later, many of these organizations have still not seen donations recover to pre-9/11 levels, and are turning to a private-sector charity validator to win back donors and restore a positive image.

The Wall Street Journal reports that seven major U.S.-based Muslim charities are voluntarily opening up their financial records to the Wise Giving Alliance, a charity-vetting service run by the Better Business Bureau. The organizations hope the BBB accreditation will "build trust among the public, donors and the U.S. government," said Muslim Advocates' Farhana Khera.

They'll need to do so in what is undoubtedly a tough giving climate. In 2006 and 2007 charitable giving rose only about 1 percent after inflation, reported the Chronicle of Philanthropy, and this year is predicted to be worse due to a sluggish economy. At the same time, many charities are seeing the demand for their services increase, forcing all service-oriented nonprofits — Muslim or otherwise — to do more with less.