Kannur: Malabar's first Muslim woman who attended an English medium school and passed the 5th forum in English, Maliyekkal Mariyumma passed away on Friday evening at the age of 99. Mariyumma's life and her flair for the English language are said to be a major influence in liberating Muslim women in Kerala and their education.
Mariyumma had joined the Sacred Heart Convent in Thalassery, a school run by the Christian Missionaries in 1938, at a time when the Muslim conservative families were prohibited from attending schools and learning any language other than Arabic. She was publicly insulted and even harassed by her community members when she went to school. But the young Mariyumma was determined to pursue her education. She had later said that she considered her school days the golden days of her life.
Mariyumma's father, who was a well-known Islamic scholar, encouraged Mariyumma to continue her school education and even arranged a tuition teacher for her to understand English better when she joined the school, knowing only Malayalam and Arabic. Mariyumma studied till the fifth forum, which is equivalent to the present 10th standard in the school.
She then got married but continued her education at home. She was also involved in social work later in her life.
