As soon as the DMK, on 28 May 2025, announced A. Rokkaiah Malik, known by her pen name Salma, for a Rajya Sabha seat, it triggered widespread anger among the Muslim community. Though not officially labeled, it was widely interpreted as an attempt to offer token representation to the Muslim minority. But the announcement has sparked outrage with critics accusing the DMK of pushing a fake feminist and controversial figure who has insulted religious values and misrepresented the community for years.
At the center of the backlash is Salma’s notorious novel, “Irandam Jaamankalin Kathai” (The Hour Past Midnight), published in 2004. The book is known not for literary excellence, but for its graphic sexual content, presented under the pretext of exploring Muslim women’s lives. Salma filled the novel with explicit scenes, vulgar analogies, and passages that many consider deeply offensive to Islamic beliefs and cultural norms.
One particularly condemned passage allegedly links sexual activity with Islamic devotional acts, which the community labeled blasphemous. Critics argue that Salma has used literature not to uplift, but to mock the values of the very community she claims to represent.
Now, the DMK’s move to elevate her to Parliament has been seen by many as a calculated insult. Social media is flooded with anger, with people questioning why the party chose someone whose main claim to fame is writing sex-laced fiction under the banner of feminism.
Gems From Salma’s Book
The first controversy stems from a story in which a lower-caste boy is demeaned for eloping with a Muslim woman. The narrative includes derogatory remarks that appear to mock both his caste and his relationship with the woman, ‘Muslim wretch! She seduced my son and ran away with him. May she get ruined! May she fall into a hell-hole!’ In broad daylight, Murugan’s mother stood in the street, screaming in anger, scooping up the dust and flinging it about. Sherifa watched from her window. In reply, Nuramma shouted from within her house, in her weak voice, ‘Useless wretch, is that all she could just get some low-caste Pallar boy’s d*ck? She couldn’t even get a Muslim?’
Another controversial moment arises when the character talks about an elderly man planning to marry for the fourth time, while still maintaining an active sexual life. In a surprising conversation, a group of women discuss Abdulla, a wealthy and elderly business associate from Singapore. Known for having already married three times, Abdulla is now returning to marry for the fourth time, which astonishes and amuses everyone. One woman jokes that he’s as strong as ever—like he’s drunk some magical elixir—while others react with disbelief and laughter. The scene captures a mix of shock, gossip, and humor, highlighting both curiosity and admiration for the old man’s enduring vitality.
‘Yes, Zohra. She has written to us.’ Nafiza said to Mumtaz, ‘But how is it possible? Can he even get it up? Isn’t it surprising?’ She made a face of extreme astonishment. ‘Why else is he getting married? You don’t have to be so surprised,’ Mumtaz assured her. Wahida was squirming with embarrassment. Rahima realized this and sent her away from there, saying, ‘You go to your room now, dear. if you
sit up like that for such a long time, your waist will ache.’
Another controversy, “‘I came here just before Ramzan, intending to stay a few days with my mother. There seems to be some problem between him and my brother, so he refused to come. Where can he go, after all? Let him come or otherwise not. If he does come, in the end it will only be harmful to my samaan (p**sy). He’ll surely turn up of his own accord in the urge. He’s only in the next street. Does he even have to catch a bus to get here? If he doesn’t sleep with me for a week, his ‘thing’ will throb with pain like a whitlow; then there’s no other way, he’s got to come.’ Having said all this, Najima turned and looked towards Rahima.”
Another controversy arose when author Salma made a provocative comparison involving Islamic practice. She referenced tasbih—a form of devotional remembrance in Islam that typically involves repeating phrases like “Subhanallah” (Glory to God) using a string of prayer beads (misbaha). However, Salma drew a connection between this sacred ritual and a sexual act, which many found deeply offensive and inappropriate.
The story reads, “The woman who had teased Mumtaz, now leaned over Nafiza’s shoulder and whispered, ‘You were clever to stop at two. But look at me, four in seven years! I’ve spent all my time just lying and bearing.’ Having complained bitterly, she then went on with a smile and a wink, ‘Tell me, are you breast-feeding your children or not? Looking at the state of your palkova (bre*st), you didn’t!’ Nafiza turned sideways and asked archly, ‘Umm? How does it seem to you? As if I didn’t?’ She carried an expression of overflowing pride.
The woman repeated, ‘It definitely looks as if you didn’t. Just see the state of me. If I undo my blouse, they go all over the direction, like calves which have been let loose.’ Rahima could hear the regret in her voice, over and above the teasing. ‘Too true… I didn’t breast feed… my children,’ Nafiza dragged out. ‘But as for you, if you had only breast fed your children, would it be in this state? You must have fed your husband as well. He must have rolled tasbih all night. That’s why yours have drooped like that.’”
Another controversy involving author Salma stemmed from a disturbing and offensive anecdote in her book. In one passage, a village headman is described as making a crude remark by acharacter, joking that women should urinate in front of him so he could judge their fertility.
The book reads, “She felt deeply uncomfortable when she considered how the women of her community were treated by the men of this village. These men were never content to eat and stay quietly at home. They had any amount of money, besides. So, one man wants this woman today: the other, tomorrow.
And can she refuse him? And how many women became pregnant and had to go to Rosie Nurse to get rid of the child! She sighed profoundly at the thought.
She recalled something that Karim told her once. The village headman, Moosa, had the habit of asking the woman whom he fancied to a secluded place and urinate in standing position. He would like to have s*x with only those women whose urine fell at a distance. If it fell close by, he would taunt the woman of having had too many children and grown old and would drive her away. Karim fell about laughing as he recounted this. He will laugh as his friend Ismail had told him this story.”
Another scene narrated, “Nafiza was not satisfied with this, however. ‘Just because she’s young, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to sleep with. You’re a fine one! Listen, Wahida, if you have any doubts about anything, don’t hesitate to ask us, we’ll teach you everything. Mumtaz even has a cassette; if you ask her, she’ll show you. The bridegroom will see to what’s left,’ she declared. Wahida’s fair complexion blushed blood red as she rose to her feet in haste and fled from there.”
Another controversy emerged from a scene in which a character boasts arrogantly, saying, “Do you know how many women wanted to sleep with me just because of my looks back in the day? Is your husband even handsome? Ask Sabia what I was like. So many women used to follow me around even she knows it. I could tell you more, but they’re all relatives.” Then, suddenly lowering his voice to whisper and brought his face toward her, he added, “Don’t tell anyone… I’ve even tasted Amina.”
Another controversy in the book arises as the character recalls, “It was her mother’s warning that always stayed with her, holding her back ‘Don’t go if your father (Attha) asks you to sleep near him. You never know when your skirt or davani might slip off while you’re asleep; it would be shameful in front of your father.’” She often wondered, “Was what Amma saying, correct?” Reflecting further, she thought, “Didn’t we have enough games during the day? But look at me now all alone, locked up like this. Maybe it wouldn’t feel so lonely if I were with Attha.” Yet, she firmly pushed that thought aside. Despite the special affection both her father and Periamma had shown her, it was her mother whom she missed with a deep, aching longing as if she had been utterly abandoned.”
இரண்டாம் ஜாமங்களின் கதை❌
இரண்டாம் காமங்களின் கதை✅🔞 🔞🔞@salma_poet pic.twitter.com/LPYiSqRYL3
— Adv. Abubacker ⚖️ (@Adv_Abubacker) May 31, 2025
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