Kozhikode, Kerala. Muslim Women Gender Justice Forum, expressed strong criticism towards the CPI(M) for not allowing Muslim women to speak at a seminar organized to discuss the Uniform Civil Code in Kozhikode on Saturday.
Chairperson of the Muslim Women Gender Justice Forum and Writer, Dr. Khadija Mumtaz, expressed strong criticism towards the CPI(M).
Dr. Khadija lamented the exclusion of women’s opinion from the seminar, stating that it was a significant mistake not to grant them a platform. She had been invited as a delegate by the CPI(M) but was denied the opportunity to speak on stage, revealing the gender inequality prevalent within the party’s seminar.
Muslim women were not allowed to speak, possibly because the organizers were afraid of displeasing religious leaders or uncomfortable with having them on stage. Dr. Khadija highlighted the urgent need for personal law reform to address the issues faced by Muslim women.
She expressed her disappointment, sharing, “As a Muslim woman, I was not given a chance. I have attended all their events, but this time, I wanted to participate and raise issues as a Muslim woman. It seemed that the seminar was not open to that level of discourse”.
The absence of LDF convener E P Jayarajan and other leaders, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, during internal conflicts on the UCC further muted the seminar’s impact. Additionally, the non-attendance of Samasta leaders proved to be a setback for the CPI(M).
The absence of leaders, which invites controversies, and the lack of gender equality, leading to numerous criticisms, resulted in the seminar being a significant failure, resembling more of a CPI(M) party meeting. The seminar was inaugurated by the CPI (M) party general secretary Sitaram Yechury.
