Professor's sexist 'slice of melon' remark draws ire


Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 20(DHNS): Sexist comments made by a Kozhikode-based assistant professor about the girl students in his college have set off a student agitation that cut across political affiliation.

His misogynist take on the students' dressing styles, especially a comparison between they way they "expose their chest" and a slice of melon, has also led to a social media outrage.

Jouhar Munavvir T had made disparaging comments about the dressing styles followed by girl students in Farook Training College in Kozhikode, where he teaches, during a counselling event.

In an undated video footage of his speech, Jouhar is seen deploring the Muslim women who constitute most of the students in the college, saying "The girls wear purdahs but they wear them in such a way that their leggings are exposed. Just imagine, this is the style now. And they tie a scarf around their head, leaving a part of their chest, a body part that attracts men, exposed. It's like a slice of melon, cut out to show how ripe the fruit is," he says in the video.

The college website lists 'Social Studies Education' as the assistant professor's 'area of specialisation'.

On Monday, students affiliated to different political parties organised protests near the college. Women's groups have demanded action against the assistant professor.

On social media, the debates also gave way, briefly, to dissent through a 'bare breast' campaign. Images of a woman holding watermelons on to her bare breasts were removed by Facebook soon after they were posted.

The campaign, however, continues to divide opinion and has opened more conversations on gender politics and power play in objectification of women.

 

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • Arun, Mangalore

    Tue, Mar 20 2018

    attitude seems similar to a few very famous colleges in Mangalore here.
    Boys and girls are not allowed to mingle and they call themselves progressive thinking institutions.

    DisAgree Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Tue, Mar 20 2018

    Are we really moving Forward ...

    DisAgree [2] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • John Tauro, M'luru / Kwt

    Tue, Mar 20 2018

    Now no doubt they are indeed moving towards Somalia.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Jenifer, Mangalore

    Tue, Mar 20 2018

    Saudi Arabia, most hardcore fundamental rulers, have passed down the reign to a younger gentleman who believes in liberating women from their bonding. Allows them to join mix-gender gatherings and to go out unaccompanied by a male member from the family.

    Our angutha-chaaps who learned religion from the Saudiaites, are still dwelling in caves. Its time women threw away their abayas and question men why they are not clothed in robes and ride camels.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: Professor's sexist 'slice of melon' remark draws ire



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.