IUML says Kanthapuram’s controversial remarks on women ‘scholarly expression’; CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan questions stand

The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) defended the controversial remarks made by Sunni Muslim scholar Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar on women during a public platform, stating that they were a "scholarly expression." IUML State President Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal was quoted as saying that he "had nothing more to say on the matter."

The remarks, made at an Islamic conference in Kochi, suggested that women's presence in public spaces would lead to "great destruction" and that Islam prescribed purdah for women to prevent this. In response, senior CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan criticized the view that women should be kept away from public life, arguing that such views could be debated and criticized in a democratic society.

Jayarajan emphasized the importance of protecting women's freedom, equality, and participation in public life as a fundamental duty of a democratic society.