india

Updated: Jul 06, 2018 21:25 IST

A Class 5 student was expelled from a madrasa in North Kerala last week after she sported a sandalwood ‘bindi’ on her forehead as part an acting assignment in a short film. The madrasa took action against her after some fringe elements raised the issue before it.

The issue came to light after the angry father, hailing from Kozhikode, took to social media saying his daughter was lucky to escape from being punished by stoning.

The post by the girl’s father, Ummar Malayil, has gone viral with 7,000 likes and 2,500 shares in a day. Most of social media users praised Malayil for standing up to so-called fanatics.

In the post, Malayil said his 10-year-old daughter was good in her studies and extra-curricular activities such as singing and dancing. She won many prizes in school and madrasa-level competitions, he said. “Despite her impeccable talents, she was expelled from the madrasa. The reason cited is shocking: she sported a sandal bindi,” he said in his post in Malayalam.

“Thank God, she was spared from the stone-pelting punishment,” Malayil said in the post ridiculing conservatives. Though a majority of the reactions supported his bold stand, some justified the madrasa’s action saying sporting a ‘bindi’ was un-Islamic and against Sharia laws.

“Good, you exposed narrow-minded people. Religion is for the betterment of people not to confine them in shackles. No doubt, people who expelled the little girl are against the religion,” said a comment. Another asked whether the so-called fringe elements dared to take action against Malayalam superstar Mammooty who donned the role of Hindu kings and social reformers in movies.