Controversy has started in Kerala over the statement of a Mufti. Kanthapuram AP Abubakar Musaliar, one of the prominent Muslim religious leaders of Kerala, said that women should be confined to home and should not go to public places. In his statement he also compared women to gold ornaments. His statement is being discussed a lot and many people are criticizing it.
Kanthapuram said this at the Hubbul Rasool Conference held in Kochi. He said that women should stay indoors and should not go to public places. Linking it to the respect and safety of women, he said that the system of purdah in Islam has been mentioned for this very reason.
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compared women to gold
Mufti gave the example of a gold garland to explain his point. He said that just as gold jewelery is kept in a box for safe keeping, in the same way women should also be kept in the house. He said that if women are brought to public places then it can create big problems.
Abubakar also said that religious scholars have been saying such things about women for almost 100 years. According to him, this is not to consider women inferior but to maintain their respect. He justified his statement by citing a verse from the Quran. Kanthapuram also said in his speech that Islam has given many rights to women. He said that Islam had talked about stopping the practice of killing girls and giving property rights to women.
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There was controversy regarding the statement earlier also
Kanthapuram's statement has already been controversial. Recently a circular was issued by a faction of his organization in which it was said that women should not be brought among non-relative men or on public platforms during Muslim religious programs. After this statement, social media and political people also opposed it.
In this matter, some CPM leaders of Kerala also criticized Kanthapuram's statement. CPM leader KK Shailaja said that it is not right to confine women to home. Other leaders also opposed the thinking of keeping women away from public life. However, Kanthapuram has refused to back down from his statement. He said that religious scholars have studied the religion and have the right to express their views among the Muslim community. He also said that he will continue to express his views.
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What is said about purdah in the Quran?
Regarding veiling of women in Islam, in verse 31 of Quran's Surah An-Noor, it has been said to keep the eyes down, to protect purity and not to show one's adornment in front of non-mahram people. Verse 59 of Surah Al-Ahzab also talks about taking outer clothing over oneself while going out. That is, in these verses there is talk about women's dress, behavior and veiling in front of non-mahram people, but there is no mention of keeping women locked in the house.
There is also talk of women's education and learning in Islamic tradition. It is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that Prophet Mohammad had given separate time to educate women also. His wife Khadija was also a businessman and was involved in business. Therefore, the issue of purdah cannot be assumed to mean that women should be completely kept away from studies, work or society. There are also examples in Islamic history of women studying, working and playing their role in society.