India: Opposition to Kerala Literature Festival from 'Muslim organisations'

The Hindu
January 28, 2016

Muslim organisations oppose KLF

A slew of Muslim organisations have urged the government to withdraw its support to the maiden Kerala Literature Festival being held in Kozhikode from February 4. Page 7

Biju Govind

Say Kerala Literature Festival has an anti-Muslim attitude

A slew of Muslim organisations have urged the State government to withdraw its support to the maiden four-day Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) being held in Kozhikode from February 4, saying that the festival has an ‘‘anti- Muslim attitude.’’

In a joint statement, they maintained that the KLF organisers had decided to hold a session on “Religion, spirituality and philosophy” in which the proposed speakers are known opposers of religion and religious practitioners were absent on the panel.

Besides, the session was confined only to discussing Islam, the statement said, adding that such debates were not only anti-democratic but also an insult to believers.

In contrast, the other KLF sessions on poetry, literature, drama and novel were being participated by known figures from those fields, it added.

The signatories included Hussain Madavoor (general secretary, Indian Islahi Movement); P. Koya, (Editor, Thejas); Nazer Faizi Kudathai ( secretary SYS); N.V. Abdul Razak (president, SSF) and Sathar Panthaloor (SKSSF).

Schedule not ready

However, a KLF organiser, who did not wish to be named, said they had not even finalised the schedules yet.

“We are not sure how some people got such information about a particular session. Perhaps it must have been taken out of context from the festival website. A session on religion has been planned, but it will not be confined to Islam, “ he said.

Yaser Arafat, Editor of Dubai-based Pravasi Vayana and one of the signatories, said they had spoken to festival director K. Satchidanandan after seeing the website promo and the poet had assured that the proposed session would be re-scheduled accordingly.

The festival is being organised by the Department of Culture and Kozhikode Corporation in alliance with the D.C. books on the beach. Writers Taslima Nasreen, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, M. Mukundan, Gita Hariharan, Subroto Bagchi, Prathiba Ray, Ashok Vajpeyi, Anand, K.R. Meera, Santhosh Echikkanam, E. Santhosh Kumar, Anitha Nair, T.D. Ramakrishnan, K.P. Ramanunni, Sarah Joseph, Paul Zachariah, Benyamin, Leena Manimala, Meena Kandaswamy, and T.M. Krishna will take part in the festival.

Mammootty, Manju Warrier, Mattanur Sankarankutty, and Rajashree Warrier will be part of the cultural events.