Grand Mufti of India Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad Sparks Row Over Women, Purdah Remarks

The Kerala-based Islamic scholar, also known as Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar, said bringing women into the public sphere could lead to destruction and defended the purdah system as a means of keeping women safe.

“It is precisely recognising that bringing women onto public platforms in this manner causes great destruction that Islam mandated purdah for women,” news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

Speaking at an Islamic conference in Kochi, the cleric further said, “The Holy Quran states that women should live confined within their homes and must not make public appearances.”

Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad compared women to gold ornaments that need to be kept safely. “If the necklace has to retain its beauty, it has to be kept safely inside a box,” he said.

He drew a comparison with a nearby store selling stone grinders, saying such items could be left outside along the road without concern, even if passers-by walked around or over them.

In contrast, he said, a gold necklace could not be treated in the same manner. If it were left on the roadside, people would touch it as they passed, gradually damaging its appearance and diminishing its value.

His remarks came after a controversial circular issued recently said that “women should not be present on public platforms”. The circular drew criticism, with several women political leaders speaking out against it.

The Kanthapuram faction of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the state's premier council of Sunni-Shafi Islamic scholars, said last week that religious celebrations and programmes should remain within prescribed boundaries.

Kanthapuram said such views had been taught by knowledgeable religious scholars, particularly leaders of Samastha, for the past 100 years. He said religious scholars who had studied the religion had an obligation to speak on the issue and would continue to do so despite objections.

Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad is a top figure among the Sunni sect of Islam in India and the South Asian region. Although the title is not official in the sense of government approval, he is widely known as the ‘Grand Mufti of India’, and is in fact the 10th to hold the title.

Islam and India have other grand muftis too, with prominent mosques serving as their headquarters. The term ‘Mufti’ essentially refers to an Islamic law expert.