How Rehna Fatima Entered Sabarimala And Challenged Kerala's Conservative, Patriarchal Society

Two weeks after the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala temple, Rehna Fatima shook the conservative and patriarchal society of Kerala as she became the very first woman to walk towards the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on October 19, 2018.

Rehna, 36, is an activist, model, and a body artist. She was formerly an employee of state-run BSNL. Due to the fierce resistance raised by right wing groups and devotees, she was not allowed to accomplish her mission and was sent back by the police. Amidst of tensions raised by a group of people, she got the message that her BSNL quarter in Kochi was attacked. 

“I decided to return not because I was scared of my safety, but they were using children as human shield to block me. At one point, I reached within 500 meters from the final destination, but I did not want to cause any harm to the children over there. Considering the violent atmosphere, I decided to give up,” said Rehna to Outlook.

Along with Rehna, there was Kavitha Jackal, a Hyderabad-based journalist who was also persuaded by the police to go back. Her house in Hyderabad was also attacked while she was having an argument with the police. 

Being caught up in controversy was nothing new for Rehna. She was an active participant in the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest in 2014, a movement against moral policing. She was one among the many who were taken into custody for participating in the Kiss of Love protest. In 2016, she was also at the forefront of a struggle organised by civil society groups against the brutal rape and murder of a law student in Kochi. In the same year, she caught attention by her body art performance in Thrissur Pooram, one of the most popular temple festivals in Kerala. She performed ‘tiger dance’ which had been an all-men’s domain till the day. 

Dancers in ‘tiger dance’ —locally known as ‘Pulikkali’— paint their body like that of a tiger. Rehna’s performance with a group of men with body painted like a tiger’s skin was discussed widely both positively and negatively. All her attempts to challenge the patriarchal social order invited widespread criticism — though there were a few who appreciated her for what she was doing. 

However, the ramifications of her attempt to enter the temple at Sabarimala have no match with her activism in the past. Rehna was arrested on two different complaints and was jailed. She lost her job. She had to leave the BSNL quarter where she was living with her former partner and two children and she found it very hard to get a rented place to live. She also had to face a ban imposed by the Supreme Court against using social media platforms to express her views. 

The entry of women of menstruating age into Sabarimala is not illegal as it was allowed by the Supreme Court. Rehna was not charged with entering the temple, but for posting a photo on Facebook in which she was dressed as an Ayyappa devotee with her thighs exposed. Based on a complaint filed by a ‘devotee’, she was booked for hurting religious sentiments and for promoting enmity between two communities. Her request for anticipatory bail was unsuccessful and she was arrested while on duty at her office. She was imprisoned for 18 days after which she received bail with the condition to not make any comment through any medium that hurts religious sentiments.

Rehna received a suspension notice from BSNL authorities while she was in jail. Her children were taken care of by the families of both Rehna and her partner. As they had to move out of the BSNL quarter, they found it very hard to get a rented place. No one dared provide a place for a woman who has consistently been a target of the Sangh Parivar. 

The ordeal of the criminal cases, the cyber trolls and harassment continued, but Rehna did not run away from social media. She started a YouTube channel through where she published cooking videos. One such video that explained the recipe of beef also got her in trouble. In May 2020, a fresh FIR was lodged against her based on a complaint that the video hurt religious sentiments. 

In June 2020, Rehna posted a video titled ‘body art politics’. In the video that sparked off yet another huge controversy, her son and daughter were seen doing painting on her half nude body. She explained that she stood for the desexualisation of the female body. 

She said, “If the half nude body of a man is conceived as normal and  not sexualised, why a female body is not treated in the same way?” 

Speaking to Outlook, Rehna argued that a boy who becomes familiar with his mother’s nude body would learn that a female body is not just an object for desire. 

However, the video led to yet another criminal case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in which Rehna was again arrested and jailed. This time, she was granted bail after 13 days. In November 2020, the High Court of Kerala imposed a blanket ban on her freedom to make public comments through any medium based on the complaint against the cookery video which allegedly hurt religious sentiments. The Supreme Court put a stay on this High Court order and relaxed the bail conditions despite counter-affidavit filed by the Kerala government that opposed relaxing her bail conditions. 

Rehna has taken a break from activism for now. 

“I have not gone anywhere. I am not scared either, but I need time to take care of my children,” said Rehna, who is now doing babysitting to make a living.  

Rehna got separated from her partner for reasons that she does not want to make public. Her ex-partner Manoj put a note on Facebook saying that a separation is not the end of a friendship. He said that both of them continue to be friends and he respects Rehna for her choices.

A lot of questions have been raised every time Rehna found herself in trouble. Was it a right decision to go to Sabarimala despite she being a Muslim by birth? Rehna is not religious. She does not belong to any religion, according to her. 

She said, “Is Sabarimala a place forbidden for Muslims? It is not. Lot of men from other religious communities go there. It is a secular place of worship. Then how my religious identity becomes a question when I tried to go?’ 

Why does she practice body art which is highly provocative for a conservative society? Rehna is clear about this too. 

“Body is the most powerful tool used by the patriarchy to exercise control over women. Then why should not we use our body to resist the same? Why do we let others to use our body as a tool for propagating their ideas? My body is mine. I have complete authority over my body,” said Rehna to Outlook, adding that she does not regret her actions in life so far.