Class 5 student expelled from madrasa for wearing 'bindi' in Kerala, father's Facebook post goes viral

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Class 5 girl in North Kerala was allegedly expelled from a madrasa after she was spotted with a sandalwood 'bindi' on her forehead. The girl was sporting the bindi as part of an acting assignment in a short film. 

Slamming the madrasa for the action, the father of the girl said that they were fortunate she wasn't stoned. The post by the girl's father, Ummar Malayil, has gone viral with over 7,500 likes and over 2,700 shares. 

Ummar in her post wrote that his daughter was expelled despite her good performance in both curricular and extra-curricular activities. "Despite her impeccable talents, she was expelled from the madrasa. The reason cited is shocking: she sported a sandal bindi,” he said in his post in Malayalam.

The action by the madrasa was reportedly taken after some fringe elements questioned her 'bindi'. The issue gained steam after an angry outburst by the father on social media. Many social media users rallied behind Ummar for standing up against the madrassa.

In the post, Malayil said his 10-year-old daughter was good in her studies and extra-curricular activities such as singing and dancing. She won many prizes in school and madrasa-level competitions, he said. 

While many supported Ummar, some said that the madrasa was not wrong in taking an action against her as sporting a ‘bindi’ is un-Islamic and against Sharia laws.