News Analysis: Kanthapuram’s directive on curbs on women puts CPI(M) ties under strain
A directive from Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar restricting women's participation in public religious events has sparked a political controversy in Kerala. The CPI(M) and various women's organizations have strongly criticized the stance as regressive.
Why it matters
The clash highlights the ongoing tension between traditional religious authority and secular political movements regarding gender equality in public spaces.
A directive by veteran Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar on Muslim women’s participation in public religious celebrations has triggered a political controversy in Keralam and opened a fresh rift between his faction and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)].
Mr. Kanthapuram, general secretary of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama and Grand Mufti of India, asked mahals and madrasas under Samastha to ensure that religious programmes follow Islamic norms.
The circular asked them to prevent women from sharing stage or public space with unrelated men during religious celebrations. It also advised against incorporating custom from other cultures into Islamic festivals.
Samastha said the directive was meant for its followers and contained nothing new. It came amid changes in Milad-e-Sharif celebrations, which have expanded in some places from mosques, madrasas and mahals to larger public events organised by youth clubs.
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