'Don't Agree With All His Views': Malaysia PM On Meeting Kerala Islamic Cleric

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said he does not agree with all the views of Kerala-based Islamic cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliar, a day before he is scheduled to meet him at Kozhikode, and has said he would tell the cleric to his face that Malaysia guarantees women equal rights. Ibrahim was speaking to NDTV in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, and was asked about Kanthapuram's recent remarks that "women should remain confined within their homes".

"[He is] a traditional religious scholar who has contribution in understanding the religious text, the Quran, the tradition, the Prophet; who is a great teacher in many ways. But we certainly do not necessarily share all his views," he said.

He then pointed to the institutions that the cleric runs, such as a college for nursing, and argued that female students of such a college would anyway work in hospitals."If I look at the total context, I'm not terribly worried. But certainly if I'm asked publicly, even [by] him, I [would say], 'No, in Malaysia, we have equal rights for the women'," he said, adding, "We have more female students in our universities. My wife's a medical doctor. All my kids, including the girls, have been given all the opportunity to study and have the freedom."

He said he mentioned it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi too. "You don't necessarily agree with all scholars, and you don't necessarily agree with all prime ministers or presidents," he said.

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He stressed the importance of South India vis-à-vis the diaspora in Malaysia, and said he wanted to visit Tamil Nadu as well. "But then because the Chief Minister, Vijay, is overseas, I said let me postpone that and focus on Kerala."

Kanthapuram, general secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, said at an Islamic conference in Kochi last month that the Quran states women should live confined within their homes and must not make public appearances, and that Islam mandated purdah because bringing women onto public platforms causes "great destruction". The remarks followed a Samastha circular barring women from sharing stages with men.

Chief Minister VD Satheesan said the position belonged to the 19th century and was a misreading of Islam. Kanthapuram later said he and those with him were not people who believed women should be confined.