KOZHIKODE: The members of Yuktivadi Sangham from different parts of the state burnt a hijab on Sunday in solidarity with the anti-hijab movement in Iran. The incident took place during a seminar, ‘Fanos-Science and Free Thinking,’ organised by the Yuktivadi Sangham in Kozhikode. Another seminar will be held in Malappuram next month.
The protest, claimed to be the first of its kind in the country, was attended by more than 400 representatives of Yuktivadi Sangham, mostly women from different parts of the state. “The central slogan of this revolution is “Women, Life, Freedom,” said Yuktivadi Sangham Malappuram district president A K Vinod.”
The core of this revolutionary movement is reclaiming the bodily autonomy of women. The protest is our expression of anger directed at the morality policy responsible for Mahsa Amini’s death while in custody for allegedly “wearing her hijab improperly”, and a rejection of the policy of compulsory wearing hijab. The hijab burning and other similar protests call for more fundamental political and economic reforms, he added.
A group of Keralites, under the leadership of noted writer and lecturer M N Karassery, gathered in London’s Hyde Park to express solidarity with the women’s rights protests going on in Iran. Karassery said: “The protest at Hyde Park had to be stopped midway when some Iranian nationals arrived and created a ruckus.” “We will stand for the right of women to wear hijab in Karnataka and for the right not to wear hijab in Iran. The protest that took place in Kozhikode was indeed a major step taken from our side,” he said. It is indeed surprising that the protest in Kozhikode ended peacefully even though the mainstream media took time to talk about it, he added.
Fousia Mallisseri spearheaded the protest representing Yuktivadi Sangham. She said: “The protest was a part of the eight sessions planned for the Fanos-Science and Free Thinking seminar in Kozhikode”. Unfortunately, the media tagging us to a particular religious group is completely unacceptable as we stand out from any so-called religious groups in the country. We propagate the need for protecting human rights, and women’s freedom and rights. Wearing a hijab and not wearing one is purely the decision of an individual and no one has the right to impose a rule on a woman, she said.