Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor on Monday flagged what he referred to as a “disturbing” report on residents from Kerala who are Saudi Arabia returnees.
“These are disturbing reports. He added, “Kerala is proud of its record of educating Muslim girls and women to the same levels as boys and men.
saying the findings were in contrast to Kerala’s “liberal, progressive practice of Islam”, he later clarified that he was “not seeking anything from anybody” and his posts reflect his individual thoughts While the Congress MP sought introspection on the report. Tharoor, in his post, said Kerala’s had long witnessed coexistence and communal harmony, adding that the state was “proud” of educating girls to the same level as boys. Kerala has long been host to a liberal, progressive practice of Islam, fully in tune with the coexistence and communal harmony prevalent across the state,” Tharoor said. He said that the “import of conservative and even reactionary attitudes and customs from abroad”, as had been highlighted by the World Bank report, was “fundamentally at variance with what Kerala has long been about. Tharoor called for “serious introspection” on the matter and urged an “internal discussion within the Muslim community as well. However, when asked about the study later, Tharoor said his post was a “reflection” of “what interests” him individually and was made to draw attention of the people so that they can “think about it.”
