Kerala Muslim groups slam CPM leader’s ‘Headscarf’ remark, JIH Chief urges CPM to show courage

Kozhikode: The Kerala Muslim organisations and political parties slammed the senior leader of the Communist Party of India, Anil Kumar, for equating the abandoning of headscarves by Muslim women as progress in the Muslim-dominated Malappuram district of Kerala and crediting it to his party’s influence.

He made this remark while attending an event organized by an atheist outfit, which is reportedly aligned with right-wing organizations like Sangh Parivar, further stirring the controversy.

The comments, seen as provocative and insensitive, have elicited strong reactions from various religious outfits and scholars. Samastha, an influential Sunni scholars' body, accused the CPI(M) of "double standards" and criticized the party for allegedly promoting apostasy to gain minority votes.

P. Mujeeburrahman, the state Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, expressed that the Communist Party has the freedom to disagree on various issues such as Malappuram, Muslim identity, and the Prophet's century. He emphasized that the CPI(M) should demonstrate the courage to openly discuss these matters. According to him, the community would welcome such disagreements, and the younger generation, with education, would confront them gracefully.

Prominent leaders such as Abdusamad Pookkottur and IUML leaders, K M Shaji and KPA Majeed, have denounced the party's alleged approach towards religious communities. Shaji, a vocal critic of the Marxist party, took to Facebook to express his disdain, accusing the CPI(M) of playing a double game—speaking against believers among rationalists while simultaneously praising believers in other settings.

Majeed, another IUML leader, questioned the rationale behind linking free thinking with the abandonment of the headscarf and accused the party of hypocrisy.

IUML state general secretary PMA Salam accused the Marxist Party of infringing on religious beliefs. Salam questioned who had abandoned the headscarf in Malappuram, asserting that even the current generation continues to wear it.

In response to the backlash, independent LDF MLA and Left sympathizer K T Jaleel rejected Anil Kumar's claims. Jaleel emphasized that not wearing the headscarf should not be considered a sign of progress and urged against misinterpreting personal opinions as reflective of the entire party's stance.

As the controversy garnered much backlash, Anil Kumar came out to clarify his statement, stating that it was misquoted from the speech. While acknowledging that the remark was inappropriate, the CPI-M state secretary, MV Govindan, clarified that clothing is a democratic right of the individual and that no one should accept a position that interferes with it.