A flash mob was organised at the venue of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) on Saturday in support of three students who were trolled on social media after they took part in a flash mob wearing hijab in Malappuram last week. At the main venue of the IFFK, a group of girls from University College danced to popular Malayalam film songs, including Jimikki Kammal. The participants included two girls wearing hijab. One of them, Namitha Farzana, said they were trying to express solidarity with the three girls who were insulted on the internet after they danced wearing hijab. “Every individual has his or her freedom. Hijab is only part of one’s religious belief. It should not be seen as a weapon to suppress Muslim women. There are liberals in the Muslim community also. If Hindus and Christians can dance, why can’t Muslims? The three girls of Malappuram had taken part in the flash mob with the noble intention of spreading AIDS awareness through art. Their freedom should be respected,’’ she said. The SFI staged a flash mob in Malappuram on Friday at the same venue where the three dental college students had danced on December 1. However, the SFI could gather only two Muslim girls out of 22 people who took part in the flash mob. The SFI, the student wing of the CPM, had staged a flash mob in 14 district headquarters in Kerala with the slogan “humanity is the answer to the fatwa of religious fundamentalists”.
