Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar says women should remain confined to homes

Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar on Sunday said women should remain confined to their homes, days after a controversial circular issued by the Kanthapuram faction of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama said women should not share public platforms with men.

Speaking at an Islamic conference in Kochi, Kanthapuram defended the position, saying Islam had prescribed purdah for women to prevent what he described as “great destruction” caused by their presence on public platforms. “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 said.

The remarks came after the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the state's prominent council of Sunni-Shafi Islamic scholars, issued a circular last week stating that religious celebrations and programmes should remain within prescribed boundaries. In the circular, Samastha president E Sulaiman Musliyar and general secretary Kanthapuram directed that women should not share stages with men or appear in public spaces alongside them. The circular drew criticism from several quarters, including women political leaders who questioned the directive.

Defending the stand, Kanthapuram said such views had been taught by religious scholars, particularly Samastha leaders, for around 100 years. “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.

Kanthapuram also said religious scholars who had studied Islam had an obligation to speak on the issue despite criticism. “When this is said, if leaders of any other organisation or Samastha leaders object to or question it, we have studied the religion and therefore have an obligation to say it. We will say it and continue to say it. No one can make us stop,” he said.