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Journalism of Courage
All Nafeesumma, a 45-year-old daily wager from Perambra in Kerala’s Kozhikode, wanted to do was enjoy a trip to Manali in Himachal Pradesh and see the snow. What she did not expect was that the trip would offend the orthodox clergy.
Having lost her husband 25 years ago, Nafeesumma decided to take a trip to Manali with her three married daughters in December. A viral video from the trip shows a snow-gear-clad Nafeesumma holding a snowball in her hand and urging her friends to take similar trips.
The video, however, appears to have offended prominent cleric Ibrahim Saqafi Puzhakkattiri, who belongs to the pro-CPI(M) Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar. Addressing a community function last week, Saqafi said: “You might have seen a video… a grandmother, whose husband died 25 years back, is playing with snow in an alien state at a time she should have remained at a corner of her house, praying. She had gone to another state and was playing with snow… that is a problem”.
The statement sparked a row, with several people condemning it as “outdated thinking” on social media.
Nafeesumma’s family have voiced their disappointment at the remarks. “The stand of the ustad (cleric) has shattered us,” her daughter Jiffna told the media Thursday. “He ruined my mother’s peace of mind. Now, she can’t go out. After his speech, community members think my mother has done something wrong. Does a widow have no right to see the outside world?”
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