By M P Suresh
The demand by a section of students has recently triggered a controversy in the Church-run Nirmala College, in Muvattupuzha, Ernakulam which had been having a harmonious atmosphere till then. The conflict arose when a group of students belonging to Muslim community created a ruckus in front of the Principal’s room demanding a separate space for performing prayers for girls in the waiting room. The demand assumed significance since they raised the issue that they don’t have facilities for women to offer “Namaz” (Prayers) in the nearby Mosques. In fact, the issue has taken a communal colour though it did not tag along the banner of any political party.
The conflict arose alleging that a few girls who had been performing prayers in the ladies resting room having wash room facility were stopped from performing prayers in the room which was kept for all girl students belonging to all religions. The institution though being a Church-run affair was riding on the principle of secular concept without giving any weightage to any religion as such. Though there is no legal or moral validity for raising such a demand, the matter of concern is understandably two main student organisations belonging to mainstream political parties behind the move to tarnish the educational institutions that are under the Hindu and Christian management in the State. The question that is raised by certain religious sections is that whether when talks about secularism in education was said to be upheld in the State, whether schools and colleges run by Muslim managements in the State had given provisions for prayers of other religions in their institutions. The issue raised in the background of some students attending the holy mass at a Chapel located inside the Campus. But the issue was relegated in the background that as per the constitutions of the Church-run educational in situations, campuses are also place at where Christian beliefs and culture are to be upheld high and safeguarded in the best interests of keeping harmony.
The issue assumed proportions as a misguided demand by vested groups to disturb the harmony of one of the premier institutions of learning, the Church management set aside the demand to allot space for the prayer in the campus urging the women to approach the nearby Muslim Mosque just 300 meters away from the College to pray there. But surprisingly, there is no separate area in the Mosque for women and they were not allowed at the Mosque, though boys at the college go to this Mosque at noon for prayers. This situation has become the bone of contention for the Muslim girl students to use a college room for their prayers. When Mosques do not allow women for their Friday prayers, the non-Muslim management fails to understand the reason behind them to arrange exclusive facilities for Muslim girls. Ideally, their version points to the reasoning that Muslim religious leaders should work with Mosques to conduct prayers for Muslim girls.
Yet Another Incident
Amid the ongoing dispute for a common room for prayers in Nirmala College an incident involving a demand for a separate space for Namaz has come up in an educational institution run by the Catholic Church in Kerala. The latest incident had happened at St Joseph Higher Secondary School, Paingattoor in Ernakulam district. The row erupted when two Muslim girl students and their parents demanded a place to perform the prayers inside the school premises of a Church-run school in Kothamangalam near Ernakulam. The issue has once again triggered the controversy of Muslim prayers in educational institutions much against the secular traditions to be maintained in educational institutions in Kerala. Though it is a fact that as per the Kerala Education Rules the Muslim students can make use of the worship time allotted for their religious ritual on Fridays, the current wave of demand among the Muslim students and parents to perform prayers every day during school hours is nothing but to create an unwanted controversy in the name of religion. However, the Catholic Congress stated equivocally that any kind of intrusion directed to destroy the religious harmony, peaceful atmosphere and discipline in their educational institutions will be resisted at all costs.
Involvement of Fundamentalists Suspected
There is a growing trend all over Kerala that some Islamist fundamentalists are infusing into the blood of students’ religious overtones vitiating the academic atmosphere of the State. Interestingly a few months ago the issue of Hijab among women students in a Medical College in Kerala became a viral topic by trying to replicate the stand that was taken in Karnataka in a College. Though the Hijab ban in Karnataka turned violent, the issue did not escalate to violence in Kerala. Similar incidents of “Namaz” have been reported in Kanjirappally and Erattupetta in Kerala.
Threat of Demand From Other Religions
Non-Muslims in Kerala fear that once “Namaz” (Prayers) is allowed in one college, the demand for a particular place and mosque for praying would follow in all other educational institutions, resulting in a threatening stance from different faiths thus affecting discipline and decorum of the campuses.
Our educational institutions are solely meant to be temples of learning and not for breeding ground religious and ideological doctrine that promotes sectarianism and extremism. The need of the hour is to safeguard this avowed principle.
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What the College Principals Say…………………..
Fr Jestin K Kuriakose, Principal of Nirmala College denounced the demand for a separate space for Muslim inside the Campus. He said: “Our College, an Autonomous Institution accredited by NAAC with A++ Grade have been in relentless pursuit of excellence. In fact, we are not just shaping minds but we are also nurturing responsible global citizens. The row that has erupted over a section of students protesting the denial of permission to perform “Namaz” inside the College cannot be agreed to as such rituals may also arise from other religions whose students are studying in this College, thereby affecting the secular credentials of the college. The demand for space for ladies in the college campus just because the nearby Mosque does not allow women inside, cannot be a reason for this Church-run College to make arrangements exclusively for the Muslim women students inside the College. We are of the strong view that religious harmony in the College, established during its existence of the past 72 years and supported by more than 3000 students, should be kept intact without tinkering the religious sentiments among the students through such unfortunate and misguided demand”.
Prof. Dr Alphonsa Vijaya Joseph, the Principal of St Teresas College, Ernakulam, the Third Ranked College in Kerala of the National Institutional Ranking Framework of Ministry of Education, Government of India College stated that the College has so far not come across any misuse of academic space by Muslim students for “Namaz”. “Our institution is following a Shift system and as such all the students can well utilize the time space between to undertake their religious rituals before or after the Shift timings. Interestingly, a good percentage of our students are from Muslim community hailing from Malapuram District of Kerala and there is no differentiation found among our students religion-wise and they act with oneness of mind. Surprisingly, our non-Political Students Union has five Muslim student members and they are all integrating in the mainstream with a single devotion of love and affection”.
The Principal of Government Maharajas College, Ernakulam Prof Dr S Shajila Beevi, who is also the Head of the Department of Islamic History came down on the latest comment of a well-known academician that Maharaja College, is also allotting a separate for Muslim Girls Prayers and denied having allotted such an exclusive space for the purpose. Dr Shajila Beevi, went on to add: “ It is based on speculation. All our rooms are used for academic purposes. No room is allotted exclusively for prayers. This is a college strongly based on secular principles. Yes, there is a need for observance of prayers five times in a day for Muslims, but at the same time immense scope is given for flexibility. It’s necessary that the room set aside for Muslim prayers should be a clean room fit enough for offering prayers. Offering “Namaz” inside the College campus is not a best practice since a prayer area even if allotted could not be a clean area kept exclusively for the purpose. Performing prayers in corners or unclean empty rooms is against the norms for prayers. The ongoing “Namaz” issue in certain educational institutions is not based on religious ideals but more on political motivation.”
Dr Bindu M Nambiar, Principal of Government Law College, Ernakulam said: “we have not come across or seen Muslim prayers performed in academic space. May be there may be exceptional instance in Hostels, and that too has not come to our official notice.”
What the Women Students Wants To Say……………
Two Muslim women students of Nirmala College studying B.Sc Physics (name not disclosed to maintain anonymity) did agree that “there is no separate area for women to pray ion the Mosque but that does not mean that they should be allotted a space in the campus for the exclusive purpose. Unwanted controversy is created at this point of time, otherwise a peaceful campus.”
Manavi, a Final Year outgoing student of Government Law College, Ernakulam said: “It could happen in Waiting room for ladies. But such thoughts are rare in our campus.”
Niya Hashim (Name changed) a second year BA Economics and Raya Rahim (Name change) of BA History students of Maharaja’s College said: “There can be instances of Muslim prayers in certain classrooms or departments like Arabic but not a regular feature or through any forceful demands as such”.
Saniya Yousuf (Name Changed), a second year BA student of St Teresas College added “There is no such issues in our Campus. We distance ourselves from any external interference into our academic space aiming to destroy religious harmony and peaceful atmosphere”.