Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker | Power behind the pulpit
Illustration by Sreejith R. Kumar
Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliar, Grand Mufti of India, has been a leading figure in Kerala’s traditional Sunni Muslim community for over five decades. Kanthapuram, as he is popularly known, is no stranger to controversy, recently making headlines for co-issuing a circular to the Mahallus in his capacity as general secretary of the Samstha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama asking them not to “expose women in front of other men on streets or stages” during Islamic celebrations.
The circular, issued in connection with the Milad festivities, sparked controversy, after which Kanthapuram said that bringing women to public forums would cause serious “chaos” and that Islam prescribed purdah for women to prevent this. The comments drew sharp criticism from various sections and leaders, including Chief Minister VD Satheesan, who said the cleric’s comments were unfit for modern, progressive Keralam. The CPI(M), its long-time ally, strongly attacked the decree.
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But this controversy is only one part of the story of a scholar whose influence reaches across India and Muslim communities abroad. Kanthapuram, Ustad in Keralam, is known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad in the wider Muslim world. He is the founder of Jamia Markaz at Karanthur near Kozhikode around which he built a large religious, educational and social network.
At the age of 89, he continues to teach the hadith collection, considered by Muslims to be the most authentic collection of accounts of the teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad.
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The rise of Kanthapuram began with the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, a traditional group of Islamic scholars in Kerala. He was one of its prominent secretaries under Shamsul Ulama EK Aboobacker Musliar. In 1989, differences over the influence of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) led to a split. Kanthapuram and his followers left and formed a separate organization. The division continues and the traditional Sunni community of Kerala is divided between EC and AP factions. He built his organization around the Markaz Saquafathi Sunniyya, founded in Karanthur in 1978.
His Markaz Knowledge City project near Kozhikode became controversial after a lock of hair said to belong to the Prophet Muhammad was brought there. His followers regard it as a sacred relic; critics question its authenticity. CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan famously called it “bodily waste”. Kanthapuram has repeatedly faced criticism for his conservative views on women.
Political influence
His political influence increased after the partition in 1989, when his group developed close ties with the CPI(M)-led establishment in Kerala. Still, Kanthapuram maintains relationships across party lines. Congress, IUML, CPI(M) and BJP leaders met him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met him several times.
Its reach extends far beyond politics. He was associated with the Amman Message and Common Word, international initiatives promoting Islamic unity and Muslim-Christian understanding.
It uses these networks for humanitarian purposes. In 2025, he intervened in the case of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was facing execution in Yemen, saving her from the gallows through contacts with influential Yemeni religious figures.
The disappearance of Islamic reformist Chekannur Moulavi in 1993 remains a difficult chapter. Kanthapuram was questioned by the CBI but not charged. The Kerala High Court later dismissed the plea to impeach him for lack of sufficient evidence.
Few religious leaders in Kerala remained so influential for so long. From a young scholar in Kozhikode to the head of an international network, Kanthapuram’s influence extends far beyond Karanthur. To his followers he is a scholar, a teacher, and a builder of institutions; to his critics, a conservative cleric with a profound influence on public and political life.
Published – 06 Sep 2026 01:27 IST