Two senior leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist) — former minister KT Jaleel and veteran leader TK Hamza — have defended Sunni scholar Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliar’s controversial remarks on the public conduct of women. Jaleel said Kanthapuram’s remarks should be understood in the context of concerns among sections of the Muslim community over the conduct and positions of women associated with the Indian Union Muslim league (IUML).
CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, however, described Kanthapuram’s remarks as similar to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) stand on women. “This is against the Indian constitution which guarantees gender equality. It cannot be questioned on the basis of any religion. We should uphold constitutional values. Respected Kanthapuram’s remark is a deviation of this,” he said.
The controversy began after the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, an influential Sunni Muslim scholars’ organisation led by Kanthapuram, issued a circular last week saying it was not permissible for young women to be present among unrelated men at public forums. The circular and Kanthapuram’s position have drawn criticism from political leaders, including Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan.
In a Facebook post on September 2, Jaleel, a former higher education minister and CPI(M) leader, said Kanthapuram was a religious scholar and therefore had the freedom to express his views on religious matters, even if sections of society disagreed with them.
Jaleel said Hindu sanyasis, Christian priests, and Muslim scholars express views with the aim of the “moral uplift” of society, and that people in a modern society have the right to agree or disagree with such views. He added that progressive people would oppose any statement that violated rights guaranteed by the Constitution, just as religious scholars had the freedom to express their views.
He also said there was no point in attacking Kanthapuram simply for expressing his views, as he had not called for boycotting those who chose not to follow the circular. He then cited the differing views that emerged following the Supreme Court’s 2018 verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala temple as an example of how religious and constitutional positions can clash.
He also claimed the conduct of women associated with the IUML had been viewed by sections of the Muslim community as contrary to commonly held Islamic beliefs.
“As far as I understand, the conduct of women leaders of the Muslim League, the positions taken by the members of ‘Haritha’, the girls’ wing of the MSF, and the silence of the senior Muslim League leaders on these matters had become a subject of considerable discussion among Muslims, particularly Sunnis, as they were seen as contrary to commonly held Islamic beliefs. It was in this context that Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar issued such a statement to caution Muslims,” he said.
Haritha is the former women’s wing of the Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student organisation affiliated with the IUML. The IUML has also historically been associated with the Samastha leadership, although the relationship between the two organisations has seen tensions over issues including women’s participation in politics and student organisations.
Jaleel said that, because of this understanding of the controversy, IUML leaders including Panakkad Sadiq Ali Thangal, PK Kunhalikutty, Abdussamad Samadani and Abdul Wahab had chosen to stay away from it.
Criticising the IUML, Jaleel said Muslim scholars could not ignore it if a political organisation that works in the name of a community dilutes its principles for political gain.
The IUML made history in Kerala by electing its first woman MLA when former Haritha member Fathima Thehaliya won the Perambra constituency in the recent Assembly election, defeating senior CPI(M) leader T P Ramakrishnan. Fathima has not publicly responded to the remarks by Kanthapuram or Jaleel so far.
In a subsequent Facebook post, Jaleel criticised Chief Minister VD Satheesan for rejecting Kanthapuram’s religious position.
Jaleel said Satheesan had the right to reject Kanthapuram’s religious views, but questioned whether the Chief Minister had sufficient knowledge of Islamic scholarship to establish that Kanthapuram was religiously wrong.
He also questioned why Satheesan, who had supported the position of devotees during the Sabarimala women’s entry controversy, did not consider that view to be one that should have been expressed in the 19th century.
Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader TK Hamza criticised Kerala Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan for opposing Kanthapuram’s remarks. Hamza alleged that Satheesan had criticised Kanthapuram to please the BJP.
Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader TK Hamza criticised chief minister V D Satheesan for opposing Kanthapuram’s remark. Hamza alleged that the CM’s remark against Kanthapuram was to please the BJP. “Who doesn't believe that women need to be controlled? What did AP say? He said women cannot roam around day and night like men and get into unwanted things. There is nothing wrong with that,” Hamza said.