KOZHIKODE: Social activists including P K Pokker has come out in support of Shabnam Noorjahan, a professor of biology at Farook College and a Sufi, who is facing cyber attacks for allegedly spreading Sufi ideology among her students. Police security was provided for a programme organised by Shabnam near her college on Saturday in the wake of the threats.
In a Facebook post, Pokker said those who have taken aim at Noorjahan should tender an apology. “Shabnam Noorjahan doesn’t need anyone’s permission to pursue her opinions,” Pokker said.
The issue began with a critical FB post by Haneef Kayakkodi, a Salafi preacher and secretary of the Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, warning against anti-religious activities on the college campus, especially targeting girls from the Islamic background.
“The soul of the college derived its inspiration from the Quran and the Sunnah. But, of late, forces from inside and outside have started targeting the institution,” Kayakkodi said in the post.
He added that activities started in the name of Sufi music have now been transformed into machinations against Islam. Quoting the notice of the event held on Saturday, Kayakkodi said the language and style amount to insulting Islamic culture.
Addressing parents, the post said, “We should teach them [the students] that Sufism is not just about alluring music, but a belief system that is against Allah.” Kayakkodi warned that if such attempts are not curtailed, children will return home with contempt for the religion and its symbols.
Kayakkodi’s post has triggered a hate campaign against me, Shabnam told TNIE. “There was no direct threat or abuse in his post, but what followed was an avalanche of hate. There are social media messages with my photo saying ‘beware of her,’” she said. “The debates between Salafis and Sufis are not something new. But those were intellectual discussions, not personal attacks. I am accused of being anti-Muslim because I teach the theory of evolution,” Shabnam pointed out. “They even branded me the sister of atheist and social activist Arif Hussain,” she said.
There have been similar attacks against Shabnam in the past. “My book was the topic of a Friday sermon at a mosque.” Shabnam believes that Salafis are feeling insecure with students are being attracted to Sufism. “They feel that their sway in educational institutions is being eroded. We arranged the Sufi music concert overcoming grave objections,” she said.
“Salafis can differ with my views, but they need not be intolerant to different perspectives,” said Shabnam, who is the daughter-in-law of Hussein Madavoor, a Salafi scholar and vice-president of Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM). “I faced similar attacks when I reacted to Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar’s comments against women. I think the patriarchal religious orthodoxy cannot tolerate women’s engagement in religious issues,” said Shabnam, who is a follower of the Sufi mystic Jalal al-Din Muammad Rumi.
Meanwhile, the Ithihadu Shubbanil Mujahideen (ISM), the youth wing of the KNM, said it will hold programmes on campuses to check the “infiltration of Sufism.”
