Kerala Minister Says Community Groups Lag Behind Muslim Girls' Aspirations
Kerala Local Self-Government Minister K.M. Shaji said community organisations have not kept pace with the aspirations of Muslim girls, who are advancing in education.
Kerala's Minister for Local Self-Government, K.M. Shaji, has said that some community organisations remain unable to come to terms with the thoughts and aspirations of Muslim girls, even as the latter make rapid strides in society.
He was speaking at the valedictory session of a national seminar held at the University of Calicut on Sunday. The event was organised by the C.H. Mohammed Koya Chair for Studies on Developing Societies.
According to the Minister, Muslim girls are progressing quickly, particularly in the education sector, and played a prominent role in recent protests held in the national capital by the Cockroach Janata Party to defend constitutional rights. Despite this, he said, organisations that describe themselves as progressive have neither led nor advised these young women. He argued that this gap has left Muslim girls increasingly drawn to atheist ideas.
The two-day seminar, which opened on Saturday, featured sessions addressed by academic J. Devika and former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan. Inaugurating the event, Indian Union Muslim League State president Panakkad Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal said development ought to be understood through the framework of Mahatma Gandhi rather than capitalism.