Kerala clerics’ body justifies leader’s decision to not to call girl student on stage

The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema, an influential body of Sunni clerics, on Saturday (May 14) stood by the statement made by its leader Abdulla Musaliyar, who said young girls should not be invited on stages at public events.

The leader, Abdulla Musaliyar, was addressing a madrasa event at Malappuram when he made the comment. The video clip of Musaliyar rebuking event organisers for calling a class 10 girl on stage went viral. So much so that it even drew Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s attention.

The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema president Sayyid Muhammed Jifry Thangal said Abdulla Musaliyar was right in what he said because the organisation is against the practice of having men and women together on stage.

Thangal said Musaliyar did not insult the girl nor did he intend to do so. “If he had to insult her, he would have prevented her from coming on the stage,” he said.

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Thangal claimed the girl herself was not comfortable because “she had to come to the stage where the Ustads were seated”. Therefore, Musaliyar told the organisers not to call other girl students on stage.

Musaliyar too justified his stand. “Samastha is an organisation that works for the education of children, especially women. I have inaugurated colleges for women when others opposed it. I go to give certificates to the students every year but we call their guardians on stage and give them the prize. Samastha does not have the practice of women and men sitting together on stage. We don’t bring women on stage.”