Kerala row over women campaigners in hijab

MALAPPURAM: Photographs of women in hijab campaigning for Welfare Party of India (WPI) in Kerala’s Ponnani has triggered a social media debate over the freedom of women in Islam. The pictures showing the women shouting slogans and carrying banners in support of WPI candidate M M Shakkir sparked a controversy after some Muslim groups came called the act of the women anti-Islam.

Soon an abusive campaign against the girls began online. Progressive Muslim groups, though, threw their weight behind the girls. Shakkir said the girls had faced a lot of fl ak and had been advised to stay away from campaigning.

State women’s commission member Noorbina Rasheed said her organization didn’t agree with the move to curtail political freedom of women. “Their participation in a rally shows they are politically aware. Society should accept them instead of abusing them,” Rasheed, general secretary of Women’s League, women’s wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, said.

In a Facebook post, social activist V P Rajeena said it was unfortunate that various Muslim organisations were advising women to stay within four walls. “The verbal attacks on the women who participated in the election rally are symptoms of an anti-women community. We have many organisations for the welfare of Muslims. But they can’t take a strong stand,” she said.

V P Suhara, president of Nisa, a progressive women’s forum said not a single mainstream Muslim party is sincere about the uplift of women.

“Some use women in election rallies only as exhibits. Though there are many able leaders in Muslim League, the party isn’t even ready to fi eld a single woman candidate in the state. Things are changing even in Islamic countries. But here parties and religious leaders are still not ready to change,” she said.