Kerala Islamic scholar and Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar has defended a recent directive discouraging women from appearing alongside men on public platforms, saying that Islam prescribes purdah and that women should remain within their homes.

Speaking at an Islamic conference in Kochi on Sunday, Kanthapuram said allowing women to appear on public platforms in the manner currently seen would lead to what he described as “great destruction”.

He said the practice of purdah was prescribed precisely to prevent such consequences.

His remarks came days after a circular issued by the Kanthapuram faction of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, one of Kerala’s prominent Sunni-Shafi scholarly organisations, triggered criticism across the State.

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The circular, issued by Samastha president E. Sulaiman Musliar and general secretary Kanthapuram, called for religious programmes and celebrations to be conducted within what the organisation described as prescribed limits.

It specifically directed that women should not share public stages with men or appear in public spaces alongside them.

The directive attracted criticism from several women political leaders and others who questioned restrictions on women’s participation in public life.

Defending the position on Sunday, Kanthapuram said the organisation’s understanding of the issue was based on religious teachings passed down by scholars over generations.

He referred to the Quran while arguing that women were expected to remain within their homes and avoid public appearances. He said the position had been taught by religious scholars, particularly leaders of Samastha, for around a century.

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According to Kanthapuram, the restrictions were also connected to what he described as protecting women’s honour and dignity. He said women in the region had maintained their dignity because such teachings had been followed for generations.

Kanthapuram further said religious scholars who had studied Islamic teachings had a responsibility to speak on such matters, even when their views attracted criticism.

He maintained that opposition or objections from political leaders, social organisations or even members of other Samastha factions would not prevent him from expressing his interpretation of religious teachings.

“If we have studied the religion, we have an obligation to say it,” he said, adding that he would continue to speak on the issue despite criticism.

The remarks have once again brought the question of women’s participation in public life, religious interpretation and gender equality into public debate in Kerala.

The controversy comes at a time when women in Kerala are increasingly visible across politics, education, cultural activities, religious discussions and other public spaces, making the debate over who can occupy those spaces particularly significant.