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 Coming from the highly respected Sayeda family of Kozhikode has meant that she has attracted some amount of attention. There have been questions. Does she really need to work? She insists that if any member of her family feels ashamed, they had better be since they haven't been particularly helpful after her husband divorced her 17 years ago—she claims her share of ancestral property was denied to her. "I was pregnant when my husband left me. I had to learn to live on my own." Jiffriya has not remarried.

The 38-year-old lady doubles as an LIC agent to make ends meet. She has been driving the auto for the last two years and was the first woman in Kerala to choose this line. Over the years she has tried to complete her degree in Commerce but admits she never got the time. Now she has given up preparing for exams and devotes more time to her 17-year-old college-going daughter.

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Jiffriya is aware of the conservatism that stifles her community, particularly women. But she won't fault Islam forit, only those who interpret the religion to serve their vested interests. "I know our women are reluctant to come forward. But things are changing."

 Perhaps taking a cue from Jiffriya, another Muslim woman from Kozhikode, Jameela, has also tried her hand at driving an autorickshaw for a living. But she has chosen the more convenient salwar-kameez as her working dress, like the other women in the city driving autorickshaws.

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