Sunni leader comes out against pledge to give equal property rights to women

In a Facebook post, he said the Kerala government had envisaged various programmes for the gender campaign launched by Rural Development Ministry.

KOZHIKODE: Barely a week after his comments on ‘football mania’ kicked up a row, Sunni leader Nasar Faizi Koodathayi on Friday made another controversial statement in connection with a pledge administered to Kudumbashree volunteers that said female member should have equal rights over father’s property.

Faizi, the general secretary of Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Qutba Committee and state secretary of Sunni Yujana Sangham, said the pledge amounted to violation of the fundamental rights of Muslims as the Constitution allows members of every religion to follow personal laws in marriage, divorce, right to property and funeral rituals. Faizi argued that the oath was against the Quran that says male can get double the female’s share.

In a Facebook post, he said the Kerala government had envisaged various programmes for the gender campaign launched by Rural Development Ministry. “Many contents of the programme are commendable but there are elements that violate fundamental religious rights,” he wrote. The contentious portion is a part of the circular distributed to grama panchayats and Kudumbashree Missions in the state. The circular asks members to administer an oath at the meetings of the gender resources which includes the line: “We will provide equal rights to property for both male and female.”

Faizi said: “Islam allowed property rights for women at a time when they were not allowed any share. However, the stipulation (in Islam) that women have been allowed half of what men get from father’s property cannot be construed as injustice.”

He said the male member has the complete responsibility of looking after the family, but woman need not spend anything from what she gets as her share. “Those who criticise the stipulation forget the additional burden on men. The attempt to violate fundamental principles of Constitution and religion in the name of gender neutrality will certainly invite protests,” he said.

Last month, a circular of the qutba committee against ‘hero worship’ and ‘over indulgence’ in celebrations as part of the Qatar World Cup had sparked a debate. Samastha and other Muslim organisations had earlier protested the move to ‘smuggle in liberal ideology’ in the name of curriculum updating and gender sensitization.

The Kudumbashree circular also asks members to take a pledge that they will celebrate the birth of both male and female kids without discrimination and provide equal opportunity to both in education and employment.