KOZHIKODE: Amid the raging discussions on gender equality, Noorbina Rasheed, the national general secretary of the Muslim Women’s League, has taken strong exception to the complete blackout of women in the documentary on P K Aboobacker, the Wayanad district vice-president of the party.
Speaking on the occasion of conferring the Quaid-E-Millat award to Aboobacker in Kalpetta on Saturday, she said there was no woman in the documentary on the life of the leader though he was active in organising them under the banner of the Women’s League.
“PK was the strength behind the growth of the Women’s League in Wayanad. He took the initiative in building the organisation when the IUML decided to form the Women’s League in the 90s,” Noorbina said.
“PK was the observer for the organisation in Wayanad and the post was one of the milestones in his political career. I don’t know why women did not figure in the documentary shown here. Maybe because the organisers might have thought that photographs of PK with women would attract criticism,” she said.
Noorbina told the organisers that they need not worry because the Women’s League is functioning within the stipulated framework.
Indirectly referring to the controversies on gender neutrality and gender equality, she said that whatever the terms, the Women’s League will function by upholding the moral principles of the IUML. Noorbina’s words assume significance against the background of the controversial statements from IUML leaders M K Muneer and P M A Salam on gender neutrality. Salam had opposed the suggestion that boys and girls can sit together in classrooms.
Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan presented the award to Aboobacker. IUML leaders E T Muhammad Basheer, M K Muneer, K M Shaji, K P A Majeed attended.