In the name of tradition

(This article is part of the Gender Agenda newsletter. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Sunday, subscribe here .)

Patriarchy often speaks the language of religion and tradition. In Keralam last week, Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, the president of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, issued a directive saying women should not share the stage with men or appear in public spaces with them. Seemingly inspired by Taliban-led Afghanistan’s treatment of women, the president of the influential association of traditional Sunni-Shafi’i Islamic scholars said if women did so, it could lead to “great destruction” (of what, though, he didn’t specify; if it is of patriarchy, I am all for it). The Hindu editorial pointed out , “It is a test of how far religious authority can intrude into the lives of women in a State that takes pride in its progressive social history.”