Part 2
'Only Islam gives protection to women'

George Iype

Posters labelling the neo-converts as social and religious enemies have come up in many parts of Kerala. Religious leaders and politicians say these are the handiwork of certain obscure cultural and religious organisations.

They argue that 'Muslim' poetess Sorayya, 'Buddhist' poet Chullikkad and 'Hindu' writer Hassan contribute little to the religions they have now wedded. Many say the views of Sorayya (till a few months ago Kamala Das) on Islam are romantic. Certain others label Chullikkad a "liar", and Hassan a "fraud".

Abdul Aziz, a Muslim reformist writer, criticises Sorayya's reasons for converting -- the purdah and the security that Islam provides women. This was what Sorayya had said when she joined Islam:

"Purdah is the most wonderful dress for women in the world. And I have always loved to wear the purdah. It gives women a sense of security. Only Islam gives protection to women. I have been lonely all through my life. At nights, I used to sleep embracing a pillow. But I am no longer a loner. Islam is my company. Islam is the only religion in the world that gives love and protection to women. Therefore, I have converted."

Aziz says it was foolish of Sorayya to claim it was the purdah that attracted her to Islam. "She still lives in the romantic world because she is a poetess. But her motive to join Islam is suspect. Muslims would have been happy if she had said she wanted to work for the upliftment of Muslim women in the country," he points out.

Moreover, progressive sections in the Islamic community are worried that Sorayya is voicing the views of the most conservative, and not the modern, elements in the community. They are also shocked at her defence of the practice of polygamy and her acceptance of a congratulatory letter from a fundamentalist like Abdul Nasser Madani, who is in jail in connection with the Coimbatore bomb blasts.

"Conversion from the rich and famous has never helped the community. So I do not think Sorayya will help Islam much either," Aziz says.

He warns that her views on Islam are "damaging" and could only harm the cause of reforms in the religion.

Professor K A Jeleel, an Islamic scholar and chairman of the Kerala Wakf Board, who has researched conversions to and from Islam, agrees. He says conversions never help any religion.

"Some cases of conversion only lead to religious and social upheavals," he points out.

For instance, Professor Jaleel cites a well-known case in the 1940s. When Kilimannil Moithu, a rich landlord in Malappuram, became a Hindu just before Independence, it sent shock waves across the community. Moithu became Rama Simhan and married a Hindu girl. Three months after, he was murdered, allegedly by Muslim fundamentalists.

"It was then a sensational story. But it tore open the radical Muslims's opposition to any kind of conversion from Islam," says Professor Jaleel.

"Times have, of course, changed. Nobody will be killed for converting, at least not in Kerala. But lack of understanding of core religious issues by the neo-converts will only strengthen the obscurantists in the community," he warns.

According to Dr Nalla Thampy Thera, a campaigner for alimony for divorced Muslim women, one issue that should worry Sorayya and others like her is how to speed up action on divorce cases. Dr Thera has collected at least 5,000 cases of Muslim women for whom daily existence is a major struggle.

It was Dr Thera who filed a petition in the Kerala high court against the abuse of divorced Muslim women. She says the provisions of the Muslim (Protection of Rights) Divorce Act, 1986 does not provide for adequate maintenance to Muslim women. It limits payment of subsistence amount to a period of three months to the ex-wives, and to their children for two years.

"People like Sorayya should come down from their romantic approach to Islam to the harsh realities. Her conversion to Islam will be meaningful then," Dr Thera remarked.

V P Suhara, who faces death threats from Islamic fundamentalist groups for defending Muslim women's rights, demands that the neo-converts to Islam should spell out their views on the problems Muslims face in the country. Suhara heads a progressive women's forum called Nisa in Kozkikode.

"The Muslim community is male-dominated and has little concern for its women folk. People like Kamala Sorayya should take up the cause of oppressed women," she says.

Similarly, Hindu scholar Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiripad says Hindus are not hurt because people like Madhavikutty and Chukkikkad have converted. "The real worry is they have not given any convincing answers as to why they found Hinduism suffocating," he says.

"Balachandran Chullikkad claims he converted to Buddhism because he was looking for a religion without a God and caste. But it is intriguing that he found Buddhism only at the age of 40. It is all poetic nonsense," he adds.

VHP leaders say the good thing about the high-profile conversions is that at least "they are neither useful nor harmful for the religions they join."

"They are not forced conversions as that happens with Christian missionaries," Rajasekharan Kummanam, a VHP leader, says. "We are not against voluntary conversions. But it hurts us when people like Das and Balachandran abuse Hinduism."

He adds, "Some Muslims are converting to Hinduism these days because they cannot stand people like Sorayya."

According to these leaders, Muslim writer Palakkode Hassan decided to become a Hindu because he was shocked by Sorayya's superficial views about polygamy. "I do not want to remain in a religion that admits poetess like Kamala Das," Hassan had said soon after Sorayya joined Islam.

For conservative Muslims like Hassan, Sorayya now is "a blemish" on Islam because of her controversial views of women and sexuality. Sorayya, or rather Kamala Das, had hit the headlines decades ago when she published My Story, her conntroversial memoir. Then she shocked straight-laced Malayalees again with her nude paintings of young women in the 1980s.

The main criticism against the Church these days is that it is still trying to convert tribals and dalit Hindus to the faith by offering them land, cash and jobs. Hindu leaders claim they have enough evidence to prove that forced conversion by missionaries still takes place in Kerala.

"We have examples to prove that many dalit Hindus from Tamil Nadu who were labourers in the rubber estates of rich Christians are being converted," a VHP leader said.

Religion, thus, has become a disturbing issue in this literate land. Sadly.

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