Thiruvananthapuram, January 25: Hundreds of purdah-clad women attended a meeting late into the night as the Jamaat-e-Islami held a convention exclusively for women in Kerala’s Malappuram on Sunday.
While the slogan was ‘women power for social revolution’, the Jamaat admitted its goal was to encourage them to take the plunge into the coming local body elections, where 50 per cent of the seats would be reserved for women.
Except Jamaat-e-Islami Kerala chief T Arifali, all the speakers on the dais were women. The spadework for the event was done almost exclusively by Jamaat women, who went around with campaign material, sometimes disregarding protests from orthodox segments.
“Muslim women should surge ahead in socio-political spheres after proving their ability. In the three-tier panchayati raj system, 50 per cent of the seats are reserved for women.
The next elections are a great opportunity as well as a heavy responsibility. Prove your mettle,” urged K K Fathima Suhara, the president of the women’s wing of the Jamaat.
The call to women to become active in politics is another milestone in the history of the Jamaat which had exhorted its members to abstain from electoral politics until the Emergency. The organisation, which is now pro-Left in Kerala, recently announced its plans to have own political party.
“The discussions are on at various levels. Even if the political party does not materialise before the elections to the local bodies, we would explore the possibility of fielding independent candidates. The women’s conference was held with an eye on that,” Mujeeb Rahman, a state-level leader of the Jamaat, said.
Among those who addressed the gathering, through videoconference, was British journalist Yvonne Ridley. A war correspondent, she famously converted to Islam after she was captured by the Taliban while reporting from Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11.
The Jamaat attempts, however, have evoked a sharp protest from the Sunnis, a powerful Muslim segment in the state. Its chief, Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar, said it was highly deplorable that women were being “paraded in public” in such a conference.
“Advocating freedom of women does not mean a licence to breach the boundaries of Islam. They have violated Islamic tenets regarding bringing out women for public functions,” claimed Musaliyar.
However, social critics and observers of Muslim politics feel the conservatives would be forced to change their stand very soon. “With 50 per cent seats for women in local bodies becoming a reality, the Sunni faction would be left with little choice but to abandon their orthodoxy,” said Prof N M Karassery.
The Jamaat attempts have already seen the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a Congress ally and the largest Muslim party in the state, rethink its strategy.
“The IUML is least worried about the Jamaat dabbling in politics. We have also begun enlightening women to take a bigger roles in politics.
The party recently held a women’s conference in south Kerala, where its presence is negligible. We have enough educated women who could be fielded in the next elections,” said its secretary M K Muneer.
—Agencies