Sunni Mahallu Federation urges Kanthapuram critics to stop interfering in religious matters
The Sunni Mahallu Federation (SMF) in Kerala has issued a statement urging critics to stop interfering in religious matters under the guise of liberalism. This follows public backlash against religious leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar for his comments regarding the segregation of men and women in public religious spaces.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the friction between traditional religious authority and modern secular values regarding gender roles in India.
The Sunni Mahallu Federation (SMF), an affiliate of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, has urged critics of religious scholars to stop interfering in religious matters in the name of women’s freedom and liberalism.
At a State council meeting at Chemmad on Wednesday, the SMF said every religion had its own laws, practices, and rituals, and that religious scholars issued rulings for believers who followed them. It said such rulings were not being imposed on those who did not follow them.
The council urged people to consider scholars’ statements in their proper context and meaning before criticising them.
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