Kerala ministers slam Muslim cleric’s ‘confine women to homes’ remark

A Kerala-based Sunni Muslim leader, 95-year-old Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, ignited a controversy on Sunday by urging women to remain confined to their homes and claiming their entry into the public sphere would “lead to destruction”—remarks that were sharply condemned by the state ministers for home and women and child development.

Musliyar, popularly called the Grand Mufti of India, is the general secretary of the AP faction of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, a prominent body of Sunni Muslim clerics.

Speaking at the event on Sunday, Musliyar said, ”If women enter the public sphere, it will lead to destruction. To avoid this, Islam instituted the concept of ‘purdah’. The holy Quran states that women must remain confined inside their homes and avoid coming out in public. It was the right decision.”

The remark came days after a circular issued by the AP faction of Samastha that sought to restrict the participation of Muslim women in public events. The circular said that “displaying young women among unrelated men on roads and public stages is not appropriate for believers and is not permissible.”

It also asked mosques, madrasas and mahal committees to ensure that Islamic celebrations do not cross the limits of religion, a reference to several Milad-e-Sharif events organised by youth clubs that also saw active participation of women.

At the event, Musliyar defended the circular and hit out at those questioning their authority to speak on the matter.

“Samastha has been studying Islam for over 100 years, and that’s why we have the right to say this to the Muslim community. We will continue to say it. We are not the kind of people who get afraid and run away,” he said.

Responding to the statement, Kerala women and child development minister Bindhu Krishna on Monday said the Constitution allowed everyone to express their opinions, but such a stand was not fit to be propagated in Keralam, India or the rest of the world.

“Women in our society have equal rights under the Constitution. We are a country that upholds gender equality. Women faced a dark age, but with the help of social reformers and others, we have fought our way in and become part of the mainstream,” Krishna said.

Congress leader and home minister Ramesh Chennithala said he does not support restricting women in public spaces. “He (Kanthapuram) can say what he wants. But I do not conform to the idea of restricting women in the public sphere,” he said.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader and Keralam Local Self-Government Minister KM Shaji refused to comment on the remarks. “I don’t want to say anything,” he told reporters.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader PK Sreemathy, a prominent leader of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, questioned whether women could be denied their rights as citizens of India. “Is a woman not a citizen of India?” she asked, pointing out that women, like all other citizens, are entitled to the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.