What sparked the madarsa controversy? What did VP Rajeena write?

VP Rajeena, a journalist working with the Media One Group, wrote a detailed post on Facebook about how she and her classmates were unwitting victims of paedophiles at a Sunni madarsa in Kozhikode, Kerala. Her post went viral with over 1,700 users sharing it and attracted a lot of abuses and threats from members of the Muslim community.

The Facebook post started with a plea to pardon the accuracy of her memories from when she was just 7. It said, "On the first day of class, the fat ustaad in his early 50s, sharing the name of the 4th Caliph (read Ali) called the boys of the class, unzipped their pants and started feeling them up. Kids were embarrassed and tried to object. " She then talks about another ustaad who groped girls during load-shedding power cuts at night. Rajeena recounts the incident when one particular girl, Najma, burst out in anger and threatened to complain. "I didn't do anything", right?" said the Ustaad who also used to poke the girls unnecessarily. Rajeena remembers Najma used to get beaten up for several reasons after this incident.

Her post has sparked a controversy, provoking many people to even report her Facebook account till it was temporarily blocked.

Rajeena has said, "Death threats, uproars, venom spitting, verbal diarrhoea, curses...let all these continue, I am not even a bit scared. I have truth and Allah on my side."

In another Facebook post before her account was blocked, she lashed out at KT Hussain Kuttoor, Assistant Director at Islamic Publishing House and a prominent figure among the Muslim community, who mocked her saying she's flavoured her post with added masala and questioned the authenticity of her post, and said, "I believe I've not been able to express even an iota of the horrifying experiences I faced." She also said, "when a victim comes out in the open and speaks up about sexual abuses, learned men like Hussain should have encouraged and supported."

She also raised a question at all those who commented she's tarnishing the image of Islam: "Should Islam save molesters and p(a)edophiles? Is Islam that weak?" and then says "For me, Islam is not, for me, Islam ascertains the rights of not only men and women, but also all living beings in this universe".

Famous journalist and humanist BRP Bhaskar on his Facebook post said "Facebook's action in blocking V P Regina's account is highly deplorable. Regina, who uses the social media platform in a responsible manner, came under fierce and often obscene attack from fundamentalists after she wrote about unsavoury experiences in a religious institution. As a mark of solidarity with Regina, I am sharing Babu KP's post which reproduces Regina's post" and shared Rajeena's controversial post reproduced by Babu KP.

Many are also of the opinion that it is the same people who vouch for tolerance in the country losing their cool when it comes to criticisms about horrific incidents like sexual abuses.