By Abdul Basith, TwoCircles.net
Kozhikode: The Jamaat-E-Islami Hind [JIH] suggestions sent to Justice JS Verma Committee reviewing anti-Rape law turned controversial in Kerala with regards to the statement “Co-education should be abolished and proper education facilities meant exclusively for women should be available at all levels of education”.
Yesterday the Jamaat leaders in Kerala took care not to make any statements against these suggestion made by the JIH National committee and most replied saying that they are not against the idea of co-education, citing that Jamaat institutions within the state, facilitates common classes for boys and girls.
Why emphasis on a single suggestion that still needs clarity, instead of focussing on the goodwill behind the other 10 suggestions made by JIH national committee, asked JIH Kerala Assistant Ameer P Mujeeb Rahman.
He said that there is nothing like the state and national leaderships taking contradictory stands because the national committee is well represented by members from Kerala.
Talking on the issue veteran columnist O Abdullah told TwoCircles.net that this is just another case where the state leadership of JIH is finding it difficult to reach an agreement with the national leadership. “In Kerala the JIH leaders find nothing wrong with girl students taking part in protests with their male counterparts, they share stages and class rooms and so this suggestion from the central committee is of surprise to many,” he said. “So it is high time the Kerala leadership should bring in some clarity over these suggestions made by their national leadership,” noted the senior columnist from Kerala.
The JIH run schools in Kerala, except for a few like that of Ansar English School, Perumpilavu facilitate co-education for its students.
The worst thing about the controversy is that, with no leaders from Kerala taking a clear stand over the controversy, there are attempts from a few corners to compare the Islamic organisation with RSS and Mohan Bhagavath. They have started making use of the controversial suggestion, comparing it to Mohan Bhagawath’s recent advise ‘on making women stay at home to escape rape’; in order to say that JIH and RSS are two sides of a coin with regards to gender equality.
As part of attempts to make use of these suggestions from JIH and to balance it with the RSS Supremo Mohan Bhagavath’s controversial remarks, a few corners have started misinterpreting the JIH suggestion as a typical Muslim stand or as an opinion shared by the Muslim community. Such trends got widespread acceptance online as part of indicting Islam as anti-women.
It is under the wake of this recognition the youth wing of JIH – Solidarity, today came out registering their protest against the Jamaat stand on co-education. Speaking in a press meet at Kozhikode the solidarity leaders said that they don’t agree to the JIH stand against co- education. The organisation believes in gender equality and gender justice and so there is no need of a separate education system, the leaders asserted.
The Solidarity leaders expressed their belief that JIH too won’t take any stands favouring discrimination against women and they pointed out the fact that JIH have been giving memberships to women folks as well, along with men since 1942.
Women holds top organisational post in JIH and the organisational rules doesn’t prevent a women from becoming the national Ameer, claimed the youth wing leaders.
Solidarity state General Secretary T Muhammed Velom, Media Secretary CM Shareef and Secretary Sadiq Uliyil attended the press meet.
We are yet to ascertain how this stand against co-education got into the JIH suggestions made before the Verma Commission, the leaders exclaimed. The Solidarity leaders were anyway ready to confirm that the JIH suggestion submitted before the Verma commission contained this statement against Co-education.
Already there have been criticisms like the Kerala leadership is ready to compromise on the 'Maududian Fikh' whereas the national leadership clinches onto most intact.
Though the Girls Islamic Organisation [GIO] too preferred not to make their comments on the issue, JIH workers belonging to the youth and students wing in Kerala have started raising their opinion that in a pluralistic and patriarchal society like India, girls won’t be able to overcome the patriarchal barriers without Co-education.
Though not in the same level, the JIH National Committee’s suggestion on ‘execution of rapists in full public glare’ too have been subjected to criticisms.
Link to the news published on JIH site listing the suggestions sent to Justice JS Verma Committee: http://jamaateislamihind.org/eng/jamaat-e-islami-hinds-suggestions-sent-...