5 min readThiruvanananthapuramSep 11, 2026 06:19 PM IST First published on: Sep 11, 2026 at 06:18 PM IST
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.