Malappuram (Keralam) | Keralam Local Self-Government Department Minister K M Shaji has expressed concern over whether community organisations are adequately prepared to guide Muslim girls amid what he described as a major leap in their growth and aspirations.

Speaking at the C H Koya national seminar at Calicut University here on Sunday, Shaji said the community needed to reflect on how far Muslim girls had progressed and whether adequate efforts were being made to guide them constructively.

"Here is an advancement-I don't know if it can be called that-among Muslim girls. It is a leap," he said.

"I have serious concerns about how much the community has understood how far ahead these girls have grown. What kind of effort are we making right now to guide them, address their growth, and transform them constructively? Is anyone seriously thinking about this?" he asked.

He also expressed concern over what he described as a "dangerous trend", claiming that Muslim girls constituted the largest number of followers of atheist pages in Keralam.

"I have said this many times: take a look at the pages of atheists in Kerala. Muslim girls make up the largest number of followers on those pages," he said.

Shaji said boys tended to approach issues with the same casualness with which they watched reels on social media platforms, while girls responded differently.

"Contemplation takes place among them, thoughts arise among them, and concerns develop among them," he said.

He asked what kind of efforts community organisations were making to guide the girls and help them move forward.

He also questioned whether community organisations, many of which he said remained rigid in their positions without adapting to changing circumstances, were fulfilling their responsibility towards the younger generation.

He said it is high time the community examines whether it is properly discharging that responsibility.