People of the book | About processing old, religious texts

A collage of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Kanthapuram Islamic scholar AP Aboobacker Musliyar. Source: PTI, Special arrangement

Two ongoing debates highlight the double standards facing Indian progressives. The central question concerns how the ancient text can be read and talked about in the context of the present. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has made the complete rejection of Manusmriti the defining agenda of his politics, pointing out that it dictates menial roles to women; in Kerala, Kanthapuram Islamic scholar AP Aboobacker Musliyar said that the Quran dictates a subordinate role for women in society, saying, “The Holy Quran says that women should live shut up in their homes and should not appear in public.”

Both interpretations share the commonality of attributing some importance to two ancient texts — the Manusmriti, said to have been written between the 2nd century BCE and the 3rd century CE; and the Koran, believed to have been written between 610 and 632 AD. Mr. Gandhi’s attribution to the Manusmriti, shared by many progressives, is damning; the other, to the Qur’an, is grateful from a spiritual point of view.

Published – 05 Sep 2026 14:23 IST