At a time when our society is again falling in the grip of conservatism, irrationalism and over-religiosity, we must remind ourselves of the work of Late Haleema Beevi, the first female journalist from Kerala. She participated in social movements at a time when Muslim women had not yet joined the mainstream society. Haleema Beevi was Kerala’s first female newspaper editor. She became the first woman municipal councillor, Ernakulam DCC member, Travancore Vanita Samajam president and Travancore State Muslim League’s Thiruvalla Taluk Secretary.
Haleema Beevi is a symbol of women’s advancement in Kerala’s Muslim society. Halima Beevi is a unique female presence in the history of Kerala’s Renaissance and the history of Muslim religious reformation.
Haleema Beevi was born in 1918 to Peer Muhammad and Maiteen Biwi in an ordinary Muslim family in Atur, Kerala. At that time when Muslim girls were not used to going to school, Haleema Beevi studied in the school of Atur till the 7th standard. Halima Beevi got married at the age of 17. Her husband was KM Muhammad Maulavi who was a religious scholar and writer. This marriage was the turning point in Haleema Beevi’s life. Her husband Muhammad Maulavi was a disciple of Vakkom Maulavi who ran a magazine called Ansari. This is what motivated Haleema Beevi to turn to journalism.
Inspired by her husband, who was the editor of Ansari magazine, she launched ‘Muslim Woman Magazine’ in 1938 in her twenties from Thiruvalla. Halima entered the field of journalism as its editor. Later it was shifted to Kodungallur. She was its printer, publisher as well. Thus Halima Beevi made history as the ‘first Muslim woman editor’ in Malayalam. A weekly magazine named ‘Bharata Chandrika’ was started in 1946 by a few Muslim women under Beevi’s stewardship. After the Bharata Chandrika weekly received huge acceptance, they converted Bharat Chandrika into a daily newspaper in 1947 to give more strength to the reformist cause. Bharat Chandrika had an stupendous editorial board like Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Vaikom Abdul khader and Vetur Raman Nair. Basheer’s ‘Nivalvelicham’, ‘Pathumma’s Goat’, and ‘Vishudraromam’ were first published in Bharat Chandrika. Prominent Malayalam litterateurs Ponkunnam Varki, Balamaniyamma, Changampuzha, S. Gupthan Nair etc. were the chief writers of Bharat Chandrika.
She also incurred the wrath of Dewan Sir CP, Diwan of Travancore, for doing some printing work for Manorama when the Malayala Manorama daily was confiscated. Haleema Beevi had to face severe opposition due to her open writing against Sir CP’s reign of terror in Bharat Chandrika. At one point, Sir CP’s emissary approached Halima Beevi with a promise to bring a printing machine from Japan if she wrote in his favour. After refusing the offer, Sir CP took revenge by cancelling the teaching license of her husband Muhammad Moulavi. In 1949, Halima Beevi had to stop publishing Bharata Chandrika due to extreme financial crisis.
Halima Beevi returned to journalism in 1970 when she was living in Perumbavoor. With the money from the sale of her house and land, Haleema Beevi started an institution called Azad Trust, a publishing house for publishing books and a magazine called ‘Adhunika Vanita’ (Modern Women). Philomena Kurian, B. Sudha, K.K. Kamalakshi, M. Rabigam, Baby J. Murikan were the members of the editorial board of ‘Adhunika Vanita’. ‘Adhunika Vanita’ was a literary and cultural magazine that published articles and novels. C. Achyutamenon, Ch. Mohammadkoya, K.M. George, K. Avukadarkuttinaha, Balamaniyamma, Dr. P.K. Abdul Ghafoor, Abu Sabah Maulavi, P.A. Said Muhammad, K.M. and Cherian are some of the well-wishers in this journalistic enterprise. ‘Adhunika Vanita’ also has a special feature that the managing editor, co-editors, printer and publisher were all women.
When she was studying at Adoor NSS School, the Women’s Society of NSS, which worked there, attracted Halima Beevi a lot. She wanted to create an organization among Muslim girls on its model, through which the society should be made aware of the importance of education and the customs and superstitions that are clinging to the community should be exposed. Along with journalism, she also took the initiative to form women’s societies to empower Muslim women. Based on that, at the age of 20, she held a women’s conference in Tiruvalla. More than 200 women participated in that conference. This is the first women’s conference not only in the history of Muslim revival, but in the history of Kerala.
The main objective of the conference was to form an organization for Muslim women and start units for it in all colleges. ‘Akhila Travancore Muslim Women Samajam’ (All Travancore Muslim Women’s Conference) was formed in the conference and later unit committees were formed in many places of Travancore. As the President of ‘Travancore Vanita Samajam’, she took leadership of the organization. Many women were active in the Travancore State Muslim League at that time and were members of the committees. It was also a reflection of the women’s society formed by Halima Beevi. It is estimated that more than a thousand Muslim women have joined this organization. Then many small and big meetings of the organization were held.
Abolition of school fees for Muslim girls, compulsory primary education for girls, providing employment to educated women and role of women in nation building were some of the other resolutions of the conference. In the welcome speech of the conference, Haleema Beevi said: “The men of the community whose women are trapped in freedom will never be able to experience the beautiful results of their actions, and the world, which should be enlightened by the determination of the future citizens, will end up worshiping the youth and babies who are left only as a burden of the earth, it will become ineffective in nature. Think about who has the burden to make them responsible, prudent and knowledgeable…”
Haleema Beevi was also actively involved in politics. Haleema Beevi actively participated in the freedom struggle and was arrested. Haleema Beevi’s speeches at the Mujahid Women’s Conference held in Kochi in 1953 and the Mujahid General Conference held in Idiyangara, Kozhikode, in 1956 are very famous. Haleema Beevi considered it a great honour to be able to speak with Indira Gandhi at a conference in Ernakulum. She was an active worker of Congress, Sevadal worker and member of DCC. Active worker of Travancore Muslim Majlis, President of Tiruvalla Muslim Women’s Samaj, Member of Majlis League Integration Committee, Secretary of Tiruvalla Taluk Muslim League Union She had been a councillor of Thiruvalla Municipal Corporation for five years. Haleema Beevi died on January 14, 2,000 at the age of eighty-two. Haleema Beevi was the secretary of Tiruvalla Taluk Muslim League decades before the Vanita League was formed. Haleema Beevi, who worked tirelessly for women’s emancipation movements in Kerala had been arrested for participating in the Responsible Governance Movement (political protest against the misrule of Travancore Maharaja). Haleema Beevi also participated in the independence movement and was arrested.
Haleema Beevi’s public work was aimed at eradicating superstitions and customs in the community and making religious, educational and cultural progress, especially among women. Her efforts have been fruitful to some extent. An editorial titled ‘A National Disaster’ is an example of Haleema Beevi’s foresight. This explained the importance of women giving up luxury goods. Haleema Beevi had written in her foreword that one of the main reasons behind smuggling, which has a negative impact on India’s economy, is excessive love for luxury goods and gold. They firmly believed that working for the uplift of women is not only the responsibility of women but also of men.
Education of Muslim women was the topic discussed in all the articles focusing on various topics. Some Muslim groups in Kerala believed that learning the Malayalam alphabet was against Islam. Religious rulings (fatwas) were even issued against learning the alphabet. All this motivated Haleema Beevi to write many articles on education.
Haleema Beevi actively participated in the freedom struggle and was arrested. Haleema Beevi’s speeches at the Mujahid Women’s Conference held in Kochi in 1953 and the Mujahid General Conference held in Idiyangara, Kozhikode in 1956 are very famous.
A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist.
Courtesy: New Age Islam