‘Don’t interpret religion’: Kanthapuram faction hits back at Satheesan over Musliyar’s remarks

Kozhikode: Youth and student organisations of the AP faction of the Sunnis have hit out at Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan for criticising Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar over his recent remarks concerning women.

The Sunni Students' Federation (SSF) demanded that the Chief Minister focus on governance instead of attempting to interpret religion.

“Interpreting religion is not the duty of the State. The Chief Minister should focus on governance,” the SSF said in a post on its Facebook page.

SYS leader Rahmatullah Saqafi also criticised the Chief Minister. Rahmatullah Faizi said Satheesan's statement was expected, given that a BJP leader had allegedly “tested the Chief Minister's backbone” a day earlier.

“Shouldn't someone like the Chief Minister consider Kanthapuram Ustad's six-decade-long history of working for the upliftment of women before interpreting an isolated word?” he asked in a Facebook post.

Kanthapuram had said that unrestricted mingling with and public appearances alongside unfamiliar men could lead to “great destruction”, Faizi said. According to him, such concerns had been voiced for a long time and were similar to the warnings parents give their children.

“If they mix and behave without control, the statistics on crimes against women in Kerala, governed by the Chief Minister, will show what kind of destruction it causes,” the SYS leader wrote.

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He also cited the rising incidence of crimes against women in the state and claimed that restricting unrestricted public appearances was intended to protect women from danger.

“The President of our country is a woman. There are numerous women judges and lawyers. Women also have a significant presence in the military and police. We have a Women's Commission exclusively for women and have enacted strong laws against atrocities against women. Yet why is the rate of crimes against women soaring?” the post said.

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Faizi claimed that 95% of those accused in crimes against women were men. He argued that this was where the views expressed by religious leaders, that unrestricted public presence and interaction between men and women could expose women to greater danger  became relevant.

“It is unfortunate that those responsible, who should examine whether there is any truth in this and intervene if necessary, make childish statements out of fear of someone or by falling for media agendas,” the post said.

What CM said
 

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan rejected the remarks made by Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar opposing women’s participation in public life. He made it clear that neither the government nor the Congress party supports Kanthapuram’s views.

Satheesan said Kanthapuram had raised an issue that should have been discussed in the 19th century, not the 21st, and that his remarks amounted to a misinterpretation of Islamic history. He was responding to questions from journalists at a press conference held after the Cabinet meeting.

“We do not agree with Kanthapuram’s statement at all. Neither this government nor the party will stand by what he said. It is not a position befitting progressive Kerala. We cannot agree with his remarks in any manner. What should have been said in the 19th century is being said in the 21st century. We strongly oppose it. Women are not meant to live confined to their homes. Our progressive position is that they should participate in all aspects of life and be part of the mainstream. There should be no doubt about that,” the Chief Minister said.

Satheesan also cited examples from Islamic history to counter Kanthapuram’s argument. “Islamic history itself says the same thing. It is a statement that misinterprets Islam itself. The Prophet’s first wife, Khadija, was a prominent businesswoman. Another wife, Aisha, participated in a war and was a military commander. Bilqis, who is mentioned in Islamic history, was a queen. History records that when Caliph Umar decided to reduce the mahr at a royal court, a woman questioned the decision. He acknowledged that the woman was right. Women were present even in the royal court,” V.D. Satheesan said.