Why Satheesan rebuttal of cleric views on women unites rival Muslim bodies
While the 94-year-old Sunni Muslim cleric Kanthapuram A P Abubacker Musliyar’s statement on the presence of Muslim women in public places has triggered a political row in Keralam, it has also led to several organisations of the community coming together over the issue of interpreting Islam. It is another matter that they have always been divided along organisational, political and ideological lines.
The original controversy erupted when, referring to women’s participation in Eid Milad-un-Nabi celebrations on August 26, Musliyar, popularly known as Kanthapuram, issued a directive to the mosques and madarsas under his organisation Samastha Keralam Jamiyyathul Ulema, stating that Islamic celebrations should not cross the confines of religion. He also warned against women mingling with men in public places.
Chief Minister and Congress leader V D Satheesan castigated Kanthapuram’s views on women, saying it was “not suitable for a progressive Keralam”. “Neither Congress nor the government can agree to that stand. Such a thing should be stated in the 19th century, not in this 21st century. Women should live in mainstream society, taking part in all activities. We have a progressive stand on this. Kanthapuram quotes the Quran saying that women should remain confined to their homes and there would be disaster if they come to public space,’’ he said, adding that the Quran was being misinterpreted.
For Satheesan, joining the issue with Kanthapuram might have been “irresistible” as he has been known for his sharp progressive stand on various issues, said some political observers. “Satheesan had also done it during his previous stint as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Keralam Assembly, including on those issues which the then ruling CPI(M)-led LDF chose to evade,” they said.
However, while denouncing Kanthapuram’s stance, Satheesan was also seen to have turned the row over a conservative cleric’s views on women to a debate on interpretation of Islam.
Supporting Kanthapuram’s position, Keralam Muslim Jamaath, an umbrella outfit of Sunni groups in the state, warned Satheesan against “teaching religion” to clerics, demanding that he withdraw his remarks. It also urged the CM to refrain from interpreting religion.
Significantly, Kanthapuram also got the support of his rival Sunni outfit SAMASTHA, whose president Jifri Muthukoya Thangal came out against Satheesan. “Do not belittle those who speak on religious matters. Those related to religion will speak about religious matters. India is a country where people are allowed to speak about religion. Hence, those who speak about religion should not be belittled saying that their stand is not relevant to the contemporary period,” said Tangal.
The politically-influential SAMASTHA – close to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key constituent in the ruling Congress-led UDF – has been politically and organisationally opposed to the Kanthapuram-led Samastha outfit which is known for its proximity to the CPI(M).
As the leading bodies of Muslim clerics and scholars closed ranks over the Kanthapuram row, the IUML, which often acts as a buffer against orthodox elements within the community, also justified the cleric’s stand.
IUML state chief and influential religious leader Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said Kanthapuram “might have meant women’s safety”. “What is more important is the unity of the community as well as the society. The IUML stand is to remain close to that. Kanthapuram had stated so as a religious leader. The restrictions could be for the benefit of women. In modern society, women are the most targeted. He might have that scenario in his mind,” Thangal said.
While several Muslim bodies rallied round Kanthapuram’s position, a section of Muslims, including women, also criticised him, especially on social media, over the row.
Despite conservative clerics warning against women entering the public arena, the presence of Muslim women in Keralam’s social and political spheres has continued to expand, with even the IUML fielding Muslim women candidates in various recent elections.
However, when reformists in the community and progressive elements in the society at large found a common ground to target an influential cleric like Kanthapuram on the woman issue, it brought the leading Sunni bodies of Keralam together in his defence.
Muslims account for 26% population of Keralam, an overwhelming majority of whom are Sunnis.
In 1989, the century-old body of Sunni clerics, Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema, suffered a split when Kanthapuram launched his own breakaway outfit known as the “AP” faction named after him. Its other faction, SMASTHA, is known as the “EK” faction named after the late E K Abubacker Musaliyar.
Over the years, there have been conflicts between these two factions over various issues besides the control of mosques and madrasas in the state. The members of the Panakkad family, which dominates the IUML, have been members of the SAMASTHA’s decision-making bodies.
After the BJP stormed to power at the Centre in 2014, the rivalries among Keralam’s prominent Muslim organisations started subsiding, as the “Sangh Parivar threat” created a larger common ground for them. The controversial issues like the Centre’s CAA legislation also facilitated this process.
This also pushed a large section of Muslim community towards consolidation in favour of the UDF, which was reflected in its success in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and 2024 as well as the 2026 Assembly polls.
