THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Personal laws have been disguised as unchangeable divine words against modern Muslim women who are progressing with education and a sense of democratic rights, former Kerala Sahitya Akademi vice-president Kadeeja Mumthas said on Monday, adding that the persistence of these laws was the greatest challenge faced by them.
She was delivering the Vakkom Moulavi Memorial Lecture organised by the Vakkom Moulavi Memorial Research Centre (VMMRC) at Christ Church Centenary Hall in Thiruvananthapuram.
Calling the inheritance laws opposite in spirit to the Islamic ideals of equality, justice and independent reasoning (Ijtihad) upheld by Vakkom Moulavi, Kadeeja said the intellectual revolution carried out through language by Moulavi and Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai is an unforgettable chapter in the independence struggle of Kerala and the princely state of Travancore.
Mentioning that Moulavi strongly reacted against superstitions, regressive rituals, the community’s tendency to ignore the Malayalam language and modern education, and discrimination against women, Kadeeja said he emphasised that worldly matters could be amended by considering logic, public good and justice according to changing times, while keeping faith in the Quran and Prophetic traditions.
Remembering Moulavi’s contribution to the freedom struggle is highly relevant in the current political climate, where Muslims are increasingly being marginalised, she said.
On the occasion, the Vakkom Moulavi Memorial Award was presented to senior writer and journalist G Priyadarshanan. Former director of Malayalam Mission Suja Susan George presided over the event. A book ‘Navothanathinte Neekkirippukal: Vakkom Moulaviyude Sampoorna Krithikal’, edited by K M Seethi, was also released.