IOS Centre for Gender Studies and Research Library in Calicut formally opened

October 22, 2019 at Calicut, Kerala


Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam inaugurating the Centre

Calicut: In a colourful ceremony attended by academics and scholars, Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam, the Chairman of the Institute of Objective Studies, formally opened the IOS Centre for Gender Studies on October 22, 2019. Mr. O. Abdulla, the veteran journalist and author, joined him to open Hazrath Ayesha Research Library.

Prof. P. Koya, the coordinator of the Calicut chapter of the Institute in his welcome speech said that the International Women Conference organised by the Institute in 2017 had recommended the establishment of a research centre with special focus on gender. He also thanked the headquarters for giving the green signal to start the centre which could be developed into an institution to promote higher academic research.


Speaker: Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam

In his inaugural address Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam invited the attention of the audience to the need for greater focus on the acquisition of knowledge. Only through education and academic pursuit Muslims of the country can realise liberty, equality and fraternity, the basic rights of a human being. IOS hopes that Muslims all over the country will be fully literate by the middle of this century. This is mandatory as Allah has honoured the children of Adam and preferred them above his other creation. They are also enjoined by the Creator to hold on to the rope of unity, he said.

The chairman also added that the IOS Centre for Gender Studies and the Research Library have been established in Calicut because of the tolerance and mutual respect found among the communities in Kerala. Moreover, Muslim women in Kerala have taken to education. Girls are to be encouraged to go for advance studies in many disciplines, including law.  Many first-rate legal universities have been established over the years which cater to the greater demand for legal professionals. The IOS Chapter in Calicut should serve as a platform for advancement of specialised knowledge.

He also warned about the new threat to Islam at global level, coming in the form of demonisation and misrepresentation in which many social and religious groups are joining hands. Hatred of Islam and Muslims is their only unifying factor. Women are their major target and they are using new technology and media to present Islam as patriarchal and anti-women. It is time women scholars compared the status of women in Islam to other religions and secular ideologies.


Speaker: O. Abdulla


Speaker: N. P. Chekkutty


Speaker: A. Vasu


Speaker: K. H. Nazar


View of book release


View of book release


View of book release

In the inaugural function three books in Malayalam published by IOS were also released. One among them is the Memoirs of Dr. Ahmad Totonji, the illustrious activist and intellectual who has been behind the co-ordination of various youth and student bodies around the world. The other two books, both collections of essays on sociology, edited by Prof. A.R. Momin were also released. N. P. Chekkutty, O. Abdulla, A. Vasu, A. I. Rahmatullah, V. A. Kabeer, A. S. Zainaba, A. A. Vahab, K. H. Nazar, C. A. Rauf, S. Nizar and E. M. Sadiq also spoke on the occasion.