‘Spewing misogyny’: Women leaders blast Kanthapuram over anti-women remarks
Thiruvananthapuram: Widespread criticism has erupted across Kerala following controversial remarks by Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar and a directive by the Kanthapuram faction of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama advocating that women should remain confined to their homes and avoid sharing public platforms with men. Women political leaders and intellectuals have united to condemn the stance as misogynistic and regressive.
Minister for Women and Child Development Bindu Krishna also condemned the stance, emphasising that India’s constitutional framework guarantees gender justice and views all individuals as equals. She noted that while society once endured dark times, women entered the mainstream through continuous struggles led by renaissance figures and progressive thinkers.
Senior CPM leader and All India Democratic Women’s Association figure P K Sreemathy joined the backlash, describing the remarks as a direct attack on modern values. “Once again, misogyny is being spewed,” Sreemathy remarked. Sharing a video of a young Muslim woman countering the scholar's views, she added, “If such statements are dismissed merely as the ravings of old age, history will not forgive modern Kerala.”
Echoing the outrage, college professor and writer Shabnam Noorjahan took to Facebook to express her condemnation amidst the rising public backlash. She stated that if one asks who the most misogynistic and regressive group among Kerala Muslims is, the only answer is the Sunnis under Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar. She added that Kanthapuram is shamelessly challenging all progressive Malayalis by repeatedly making statements that insult the entire female community.
Former Health minister K K Shailaja had also sharply criticised the directive, pointing out the contradiction in Samastha's role in society. “Confining women inside homes is a feudal custom. It is inappropriate for an organisation like Samastha, which runs numerous educational and social service institutions, to express such an opinion,” she stated.
The widespread condemnation follows Kanthapuram's speech at an Islamic conference in Kochi on Sunday, where he stated, “It is precisely recognising that bringing women onto public platforms in this manner causes great destruction that Islam mandated purdah for women. The Holy Quran states that women should live confined within their homes and must not make public appearances.”
Defending the advisory issued by Samastha president E Sulaiman Musliyar and himself, Kanthapuram insisted that scholars remain obligated to preach these principles. "Therefore, you must understand that it is because all knowledgeable people, especially the leaders of Samastha, taught this here for 100 years that the women in this country have maintained their honour and dignity," he said, asserting that no opposition would stop them from repeating these views.