Kanthapuram’s directive on curbs on women puts CPI(M) ties under pressure

Kanthapuram Sunni leader AP Aboobacker Musliar

Veteran Kanthapuram Sunni leader AP Aboobacker Musliar’s directive on the participation of Muslim women in public religious celebrations has sparked a political controversy in Kerala and opened a fresh rift between his faction and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)).

Mr. Kanthapuram, General Secretary of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama and Grand Mufti of India, asked mahals and madrasas under Samastha to ensure that religious programs follow Islamic norms.

The circular asked them to prevent women from sharing the stage or public space with unrelated men during religious celebrations. It also discourages the incorporation of customs from other cultures into Islamic holidays.

Samastha said the directive was intended for its followers and contained nothing new. This comes amid changes in Milad-e-Sharif celebrations, which in some places have expanded from mosques, madrasas and mahals to larger public events organized by youth clubs.

Mr. Kanthapuram later reiterated his stand at a meeting in Kochi. He said women should stay at home and argued that their entry into the public sphere could lead to “chaos”. He cited purdah as a means of preventing such problems.

These remarks drew criticism from CPI(M) leaders and women’s organizations. Former minister and CPI(M) central committee member PK Sreemathy called for the circular to be withdrawn. Former minister KK Shailaja said keeping women locked up in their homes was a feudal practice.

All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) president CS Sujatha and Students Federation of India (SFI) state secretary PS Sanjeev also criticized the directive. Former minister AK Balan said the CPI(M) would oppose Mr. Kanthapuram’s stand.

Kerala Women and Child Development Minister and Congress leader Bindhu Krishna said such views could set women back “centuries” and stressed their constitutional right to participate in public life. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also said that he does not support restricting women in public spaces.

Support too

The criticism drew a strong response from the Kanthapuram faction. Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS) state general secretary Rahmathulla Saqafi Elamaram defended the directive in an article in Siraj, the mouthpiece of the Kanthapuram Sunni faction. He said the directive refers to the internal religious practices of Muslims and is not a restriction imposed on society as a whole. He said Islamic celebrations have a spiritual purpose and argued that young men and women singing and dancing together could shift the focus from entertainment. He also dismissed allegations that Mr. Kanthapuram’s stance was anti-women.

The article also turned directly against the CPI(M). Mr. Saqafi questioned the intervention of Ms. Sreematha and Ms. Shailaj, accusing them of showing selective interest in Muslim women.

He also accused the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and SFI activists of using the dispute to divert attention from the internal dispute within the Left Democratic Front over the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition. The article went on to criticize communist attitudes towards gender and the family, citing former minister R. Bindu’s comments about a transgender couple and contrasting them with traditional Islamic views.

The exchanges mark a departure from the long political and social association between Mr. Kanthapuram and the CPI(M). His associates asked CPI(M) leaders not to interfere in religious matters.

An old video of Mr. Kanthapuram has resurfaced, in which he says that religious scholars should deal with religious matters and politicians with politics.

The CPI(M), meanwhile, continued to frame the issue as one of women’s rights and public participation. The dispute thus moved beyond the wording of the Samastha circular to a broader dispute over religious autonomy, gender rights and the meaning of progressive politics.

IUML takes no position

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has not taken a public stand on the directive. Local Government Minister KM Shaji refused to comment on the matter.

The controversy has so far remained largely an exchange of views between the Kanthapuram faction and CPI(M) leaders and organisations, with no major public challenge from the IUML or other Muslim organisations.

Meanwhile, the district committee of the Kerala Muslim Jamaat condemned Ms. Sreemathy and Youth Congress leader Jinto John for posting on social media criticizing the joint statement of Mr. Kanthapuram and Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul President Ulam E. Sulaiman Musliyar.

Published – 31 Aug 2026 21:22 IST