Samastha faction in Kerala objects to girls dancing at public celebrations, cites ‘Islamic boundaries’
Samastha leaders urged Muslim institutions to ensure celebrations adhere to Islamic boundaries, criticising public display of women and non-Islamic customs.
Samastha leaders urged Muslim institutions to ensure celebrations adhere to Islamic boundaries, criticising public display of women and non-Islamic customs.
Samastha leaders urged Muslim institutions to ensure celebrations adhere to Islamic boundaries, criticising public display of women and non-Islamic customs.
Kozhikode: The AP faction of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama has urged Mahall committees, mosques, madrasas and other Muslim institutions to exercise vigilance to ensure that religious and community celebrations do not cross what it described as 'Islamic boundaries'.
In a statement, Samastha president E Sulaiman Musliyar and general secretary Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar called on the leadership of Mahalls, mosques, madrasas, institutions and organisations to ensure that programmes conducted under their auspices strictly adhere to Islamic norms.
The statement comes against the backdrop of widespread Onam celebrations in educational institutions across the Malabar region, where students from the Muslim community, including girls, have participated in various programmes and celebrations. After the Onam celebration videos of Muslim girls from different parts of Malabar went viral on social media, there were demands within the Muslim community for the participation of Muslim girls in Milad-e-Shariff (Nabi Dinam) programmes in Kerala.
The Samastha leaders specifically criticised the participation and public presentation of young women in programmes conducted on public roads and stages in the presence of men. They also objected to the incorporation of what they termed non-Islamic customs and forms of celebration into programmes involving Muslim institutions and communities.
"Displaying young women among unrelated men in public spaces and on stages, as well as adopting customs and celebration practices considered incompatible with Islam, are not appropriate for believers and should not be permitted," the statement says.
They urged Mahall committees and madrasa and mosque authorities to remain particularly vigilant and to ensure that celebrations and programmes organised at the local level or by affiliated institutions remain within Islamic norms.
The leaders said that all programmes should be organised while preserving religious values, discipline and moral standards. They also emphasised the responsibility of community institutions to provide the younger generation with what they described as morally appropriate models and guidance.