IUML Justifies Kanthapuram's Remarks on Women; CPI(M) Leader Questions Stand

Thiruvananthapuram: IUML, a key ally of the ruling Congress in Keralam, on Tuesday justified senior Sunni Muslim scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar's controversial remarks on women, describing them as a "scholarly expression", while senior CPI(M) leader P Jayarajan criticised the view that women should be kept away from public life.

The controversy began after Kanthapuram, speaking at an Islamic conference in Kochi on Sunday, said bringing women onto public platforms would lead to "great destruction" and that Islam prescribed purdah for women to prevent this.

"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," he had said.

Reacting to questions from reporters about Musliyar's remarks, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said he had nothing more to say on the matter.

"It was a scholarly expression. Beyond that, I have nothing more to say on the matter. They are scholars. I am not going to comment on that," he said.

Asked whether women should live in the manner suggested by Musliyar in the present times, Thangal said he believed the cleric was concerned about the safety of women.

"What he intended to say, I believe, was that women are being hunted in the present situation. He may have made the remark with that concern in mind. There should be some restraint in such matters," Thangal said.

"Perhaps he was referring to the broader social situation and expressing his opinion in that context. His intention may have been to speak for the safety and protection of women," he added.

Asked specifically about the view that women should wear only the purdah and remain inside their homes without entering public spaces, Thangal said people could have different opinions on social issues.

"In society, everyone will have their own opinions. What we can do is work together on issues that concern society as a whole," he said.

Thangal was also asked about Musliyar's reported association with the CPI(M) and the criticism he is facing from the Left party over his remarks, amid speculation that the developments could bring him closer to the IUML.

"As far as the Muslim League is concerned, community unity is important, but social unity is equally important. Muslim League has always worked towards that," he said.

"The Muslim community has always sought to be part of a common platform for social peace and the orderly functioning of society. This is not limited to Muslims alone; Muslim League wants to move forward along with all sections of society," he said.

"Social unity is important, and so is unity within the community. That is the approach Muslim League has always followed," he added.

When reporters pressed him further on Musliyar's controversial remarks, Thangal said he had already made his position clear.

"I have already said this. Why do you keep asking me the same question? Why single out the League? Why don't you ask the same question to other parties?" he said.

Meanwhile, Jayarajan, in a Facebook post, said every religious believer had the right to speak about their faith, but such views could be debated and criticised in a democratic society when they seek to prescribe how women should live and participate in public life.

"Every religious believer has the right to speak about their faith. However, when the name of a religious belief is used to prescribe standards for how women should live in society, where they should appear and what they should do, it is natural for such views to be discussed and criticised in a democratic society," Jayarajan said.

Jayarajan said protecting women's freedom, equality and participation in public life was a fundamental duty of a democratic society.

"Those who believe that protecting religious faith is important cannot be denied the right to do so. At the same time, protecting women's freedom, equality and participation in public life is a fundamental duty of a democratic society," he said.

He also defended the All India Democratic Women's Association's criticism of Musliyar's remarks, saying the organisation had opposed attempts to marginalise women irrespective of religious community.

"This is where the position taken by the leaders of the All India Democratic Women's Association becomes relevant. They represent a movement that has stood not only for the rights of women in the Muslim community but also against approaches, in any religious community, that treat women as second-class citizens, marginalise them and seek to keep them away from public life," Jayarajan said.

He also referred to the organisation's opposition to Sangh Parivar forces that uphold the Manusmriti in matters concerning women.

"Therefore, this issue should not be distorted and viewed as an anti-religious position," he said.

Kanthapuram's controversial remarks came amid a controversy over a recent circular issued by his faction of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the state's prominent council of Sunni-Shafi Islamic scholars.

The circular, issued by Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama president E Sulaiman Musliyar and general secretary Kanthapuram, said women should not share stages with men or appear in public spaces alongside them. The circular had drawn criticism from several women political leaders.