TV journalist’s Islamophobic Remarks Criticized: Case Filed Against Kerala Muslim Youth Leader

Kerala Police have filed a case against Abdullah Basil CP, a leader of the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, based on a complaint lodged by Aparna Kurup, senior coordinating editor of Big TV.

Mr Basil had criticized Aparna Kurup in a social media post over a remark she made about the Muslim community during a televised debate on the role of women in Islam. The case against Mr Basil has drawn strong criticism, with several Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) legislators demanding its immediate withdrawal.

The controversy began with an episode of Big TV’s ‘Big Dialogue’, where remarks by Sunni scholar Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar were being discussed. The scholar had claimed that women should remain confined to their homes.

While hosting the programme, Aparna Kurup made some controversial remarks about the Muslim community, which Mr Basil later criticized on social media. Soon afterward, Aparna Kurup filed a police complaint, claiming that she had been receiving various threats following Basil’s post. Based on her complaint, police registered a case against Basil.

Big TV later formally apologized for the remarks made during the programme. The channel authorities said some of the statements made during a discussion on gender discrimination against women “should have been omitted.” In a statement, the channel said, “We deeply regret if these remarks have hurt anyone’s religious sentiments or beliefs.”

The channel also said the video had been removed from all platforms as it “could create misunderstandings in society.”

As the controversy escalated, separate cases were filed against both sides.

Kochi City Police also filed a case against Aparna Kurup based on a complaint lodged by a resident of Kasaragod over her alleged offensive remarks. Meanwhile, IUML legislators strongly opposed the FIR filed against Basil and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

Kerala Congress leader opposes Kanthapuram’s remarks on women

Kerala Congress leader VD Satheesan has opposed Kanthapuram’s remarks about women.

Speaking to journalists on September 2, VD Satheesan said such statements might have been relevant centuries ago, but had no place in modern society.

“We cannot accept such statements in any way. Such words may have been spoken by someone in the 19th century, but there is no place for saying such things in the 21st century,” VD Satheesan said.

Stressing that women should not be confined to their homes, he said, “Our progressive outlook is that women are not meant to remain confined to their homes. They should participate in every aspect of life while remaining part of the mainstream of society.” He further clarified that neither a Congress nor a UDF government would ever support such statements.

What did Kanthapuram say?

Kanthapuram made the controversial remarks at an Islamic conference held in Kochi last Sunday.

According to reports, he claimed that bringing women out of their homes would cause “great disaster” in society and that the provision of purdah in Islam was prescribed to prevent this.

His remarks have since sparked a wide-ranging debate across Kerala over women’s participation in public life, religious interpretations and the scope of constructive criticism of religious communities.