'Fathima win in Perambra undercuts call to keep women at home': Minister Murali on Kanthapuram's remark

KOZHIKODE: Taking a dig at ally IUML, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the victory of League candidate Fathima Thahiliya in Perambra showed that people had little regard for the view that women should stay out of public life. “Everyone should be ready to read the writing on the wall. Women and men have equal rights,” he told reporters on Thursday.

IUML state president Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal had defended Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar’s controversial remark that women should be confined to their homes, calling it “a scholarly opinion” aimed at ensuring their safety.

In the run-up to the assembly elections, IUML leaders had highlighted the party’s decision to field two women candidates for the first time — Fathima in Perambra and Jayanti Rajan in Koothuparamba. Their candidature was hailed as a “revolutionary change” in the outlook and approach of a party whose support base is predominantly Sunni, a section that has traditionally opposed women’s participation in public life.

Many had believed that the IUML had finally overcome the clergy’s resistance and was becoming more women-friendly. But Sadiq Ali Thangal’s reaction to Kanthapuram has revived doubts over whether the party is yet to break free from patriarchal influence.

IUML’s previous women candidates from Kozhikode South, Noorbina Rasheed and Kamarunnisa Anwar, were defeated in the 2021 and 1996 elections, respectively. “Simply giving Fathima Thahiliya, or any other Muslim woman, an opportunity does not make the IUML women-friendly or progressive. The party is merely trying to project itself as one. So, I am not surprised by IUML’s support for Kanthapuram, nor do I think it surprises any woman in our community,” said writer and activist Dr Khadeeja Mumtaz.

Community leaders must be clear & transparent, says Noorbina Rasheed

Dr Mumtaz said the issue should not be turned into a political controversy. “It is an issue within the Muslim community and should be discussed within the community. I don’t think anyone in the Muslim community, particularly women, takes Kanthapuram seriously,” she said.

Voices have also emerged from within the community against Kanthapuram’s remarks. Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (Markazudawa) urged him to refrain from statements that could create misconceptions about Islam among the public.

The organisation’s state secretariat said Islam recognises women’s individuality and ensures their rightful presence in public life. The assertion that women should be confined to their homes is not Islamic, it said.

Meanwhile, IUML leader Irfana Iqbal, who is the development standing committee chairperson of the Kasaragod district panchayat, said she is ready to quit the post if holding it made it difficult for her to follow Islamic principles.

Irfana told TNIE that she had earlier posted on social media in support of Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya Thangal and Kanthapuram, drawing severe cyberbullying. “I have the liberty to express my stand. If I have to resign as the district panchayat’s standing committee chairperson to prove my point, I would be happy to do so,” she said.

Women’s League former national general secretary Noorbina Rasheed said community leaders must be clear and transparent, as conflicting messages could create confusion among young people entering the movement with certain expectations.

At a time when the issue is being widely debated, the Muslim League should neither remain silent nor adopt an ambiguous position. It must communicate its stand clearly, firmly and responsibly to both the public and its cadre, she said. “When the younger generation joins a movement, what it needs is not confusion but a clear sense of direction,” she said.

“A movement cannot grow merely by increasing its membership; it must also demonstrate clarity, consistency and credibility in its ideas and positions,” she added.