The eagerly awaited ‘people’s seminar’ against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) by CPM, set to be inaugurated by Sitaram Yechury, the party’s general secretary, in Kozhikode on Saturday, has sparked controversy. While 28 speakers will be present at the event held at Swapna Nagari, not a single Muslim woman has been included in the list. Among the invitees are Kozhikode mayor Dr Beena Philip and P Sathidevi, chairperson of the Kerala Women’s Commission.
Dr Khadeeja Mumthas, a writer, expressed her disappointment, stating that although she was approached by the organizers, she was not formally invited due to her contrasting views on the matter. Dr Mumthas, who chairs the ‘Forum For Muslim Women’s Gender Justice,’ believes that a seminar on the UCC should include Muslim women as speakers, highlighting the challenges they face under Muslim personal law.
While Dr Mumthas supports reforms in Muslim personal law, she is apprehensive about the UCC due to concerns over the agenda of the Sangh Parivar. VP Zuhara, the founder of NISA, a movement for the reformation of Muslim Personal Law, shared similar views, suggesting that Muslim women were not invited to appease leaders of Samastha, an organization comprising prominent IUML leaders. Zuhara emphasized the need for Muslim inclusion under the Indian Succession Act in the present political scenario.
In a recent interview, writer and social critic Dr Hameed Chennamangaloor criticized the absence of Muslim women at the CPM seminar, attributing it to a desire to avoid upsetting Samastha leaders. Despite the controversy, the seminar is expected to proceed as planned, with the attendance of prominent left allies, including Kerala Congress (M) and Janata Dal (Secular), along with other notable guests.
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