All non-Muslim cultures, from the perspective of traditional Islam, are worthless trash. Jahiliyah. Not to be valued. Certainly not to be studied or celebrated. Islamic tolerance alert: “Muslim girl dances social divide,” from the BBC, with thanks to all who sent this in:
The family of a young Muslim girl in India’s southern state of Kerala say they are being shunned by the local mosque committee (mahallu) because she is practising Indian classical dance.
VP Rubiya, 16, came first in Bharatnatyam, Kerala natanam and folk dance competitions at the recent Kerala School Festival….
Now she has an offer from the celebrated Indian dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai’s dance academy, Darpana, her father Syed Alavikutty says.
‘Outcasts’
The local mosque committee at Valluvambram, however, is not impressed by Rubiya’s feats, says her father, a clerk with a travel agency.
“If she had won prizes in ‘oppana’ and ‘mappila pattu’ [traditional Muslim art forms], she would have been flooded with gifts by now. The mahallu leaders would never openly admit that it is her dance that makes them treat us as virtual outcasts,” says Mr Alavikutty….
Rubiya is the darling of her teachers and friends at the Veeran Haji high school.
“God is one. When I pay ritualistic obeisance through mudras [hand signs], I am imploring not just the Hindu gods but the supreme creator, which we call by different names,” she says.
It is the Hindu worship content in the classical dances that her family says has driven a chasm between her and conservative elements in the community.
KP Raihemath, a teacher who takes her to competitions, says there is nothing un-Islamic in Bharatnatyam dance….
Membership of a particular mosque committee for Muslim families depends on where they live.
“If you are not a mahallu member, the kazi [priest] will not bless your child’s marriage. Worse, you are even denied a slot in the local cemetery,” said Mr Alavikutty, who has also dabbled in acting with a troupe in Kerala….
But the family is not deterred by this.
“The parish doors might never open for us, but the world is not too small for the brave,” he says.