Thiruvananthapuram | Muslim cleric and Jem-Iyyattul Ulama general secretary A P Aboobacker Musliar has come out against CPI(M) Kerala state secretary M V Govindan for criticising the former's remarks on workout sessions involving men and women in public places.

“The CPI(M) secretary need not try to insult us when we say something about what to practice in our religion. We have not said anything about other religions,” he said on Tuesday.

He also sought to ridicule Govindan for speaking against male domination, asking why a single woman could not be found among the 18 area secretaries selected by his party in his home district of Kannur.

“Why women are not considered in his party,” he asked.

The cleric had in a speech on Sunday said that workout sessions involving women and men were against Islamic ideals and should not be promoted.

He was referring to the workout sessions being held at public places, particularly in northern districts, under the banner of MEC-7 (multi-exercise combination-7), which was predominantly being attended by Muslims.

Govindan, in a speech at Palakkad later strongly denounced the ‘superstitious' stance of certain sections opposing the presence of women in public.

“The society cannot progress with an attitude of male domination. Women have come up in the state adapting to the progressive ideals brought in by the national, reformist and Communist movements,” he said, without naming the Islamic leader or his comments.

The AP Sunni faction of the Jem-Iyyattul Ulama had always taken a soft stance towards the Left in the past.