The AMU library debate: How long can we use 'culture' as a defence for sexism?

Little did Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah imagine that his archaic solution to tackle an infrastructure problem regarding space crunch in the institution’s Maulana Azad Library would snowball into a massive gender bias debate claiming optimum media coverage. After it was reported in  The Times of India that the AMU VC turned down a plea from the students of the Women’s College to access the Maulana Azad Library because they would ‘attract’ more boys, Women’s College principal Naima Gulrez only added fuel to fire by saying that more girls in the library could also lead to a discipline crisis in the university campus. The library has a seating capacity of 1,300 and has just 12 seats reserved for women. However despite the storm of outrage surrounding the matter, the authorities of the university remain defiant, and are back to using the age old defence of ‘culture’ to justify the issue. [caption id=“attachment_1798355” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor Lt Gen Zameer Uddin Shah. Image from AMU website[/caption] The Union human resource development ministry took serious note of the matter and sought a report from the institution with Minister Smriti Irani terming the comments made by the AMU head as an “insult to our daughters”. However, not everyone was outraged by Shah’s method of dealing with the situation.  AMU professor Faiza Abbasi during a debate on NDTV, disagreed that girl students had been discriminated by the decision. She said it was her belief that the issue was also related largely to cultural constraints. “The UG boys are not living separately having all exclusive facilities like their female counterparts. The girls have a college and hostels separately for themselves. The Women’s College Library is not accessible to boys. Only the Undergraduate female students are not allowed to enter the Maulana Azad Library but their seniors can. Because of cultural constraints some decisions have to be taken and they should not be seen as gender discrimination. There were constraints when AMU was built in the first place,” Abbasi said. The professor even countered the logic by those who have questioned Lt Gen Shah’s decision by asking, “If tomorrow the UG boys demand access to the Women’s College are you going to give it?” Abbasi found support in All India Muslim Personal Law Board, member, Kamal Faruqui, who was of the view that Lt Gen Shah had not been ‘sexist’. “We have a separate girls’ college and hostel. The girls are not barred from using the library. They can use the library online. The parents of most of these girls are very conservative and they would not allow their daughters to mix with boys. This is not a case of gender discrimination. It is a way to bring the girls to colleges. As far as the library is concerned I have also done my graduation and under-graduates do not need such a high profile library. The library is accessible to all students from postgraduate and professional courses,” Faruqui told NDTV during a panel discussion. However the decision of the vice-chancellor to uphold the law attracted more brick bats than bouquets, with even alumni coming out strongly against it. “The VC is looking at the whole problem from the viewpoint of an administrator. I believe no vice-chancellor should serve in the IPS, IAS or in the military before taking an assignment in an educational institution. If women want to study then we should create space. If there is a problem of security, it is the duty of the VC and the administration to provide security. Barring girl students from accessing an institution’s library is against natural justice and against the Constitution of the country,” said AMU alumnus and scientist Gauhar Raza. Another AMU alumnus Sanchita Ain, who is also a lawyer by profession, felt that the university was not treating everyone equally. “There should be no discrimination among the students in an academic institution on the basis of gender. The university has acted in a completely discriminatory manner by denying someone their rights,” Ain said.

“Boys will flood the library if girls are allowed and there isn’t enough space. The issue is not that of discipline, but of space. Our library is packed. There is no place for even boys to sit,” an India Today report quoted Lt Gen Shah as saying in his address to students of Women’s College on Monday that resulted in the huge controversy. “The Aligarh Muslim University allows students from postgraduate and professional courses to access the Maulana Azad Library. But about 3,000 women who are undergraduates are banned from entering it"— the report said further.