Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of India, made public statements at a conference in Kochi, saying that women shouldn't share public and religious spaces with unrelated men, in defense to a circular that barred women from public stages at religious events.
He said their presence there could cause "great destruction." However, Malayalam news channels have been flooded with clips of Muslim women pushing back, and they've not held back. Kerala Women and Child Development Minister Bindhu Krishna said women have the same rights as men and stressed that religious beliefs must be respected alongside the Constitution.