Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan has strongly rejected remarks by Sunni cleric and Grand Mufti of India Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar advocating restrictions on women’s participation in public life.

Speaking to reporters, Satheesan said the government does not support the idea that women should remain at home, arguing that Kerala’s progress depends on women participating fully in society.

“It’s not the 19th century,” Satheesan said, adding that he does not believe Islam requires women to be confined to domestic life. He urged women to join the mainstream and exercise their rights freely.

The controversy follows directives from the Kanthapuram faction of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama restricting women’s participation in certain religious events. The guidelines reportedly discourage women from appearing alongside unrelated men at religious gatherings, participating in public processions, or appearing on public stages.

Aboobacker defended the restrictions at a conference in Kochi, arguing that women should remain within their homes and citing the Quran in support of his position. He described purdah as a practice intended to protect women’s dignity.

Kerala Labour Minister Bindu Krishna also criticized the remarks, emphasizing that India’s Constitution guarantees equal rights regardless of gender.

The dispute highlights an ongoing tension between conservative religious interpretations and constitutional principles of equality and individual freedom. Kerala’s political leadership has made clear that women’s participation in education, employment, governance, and public life is central to the state’s modern social identity.