Kozhikode (Keralam) | A prominent Islamic scholars' body in Keralam has urged organisers of religious events to strictly adhere to Islamic norms and refrain from bringing women into public spaces or place them among unrelated men.
The Kanthapuram faction of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the premier council of Sunni-Shafi Islamic scholars in the state, said religious celebrations and programmes should not cross prescribed boundaries.
In a recent statement, Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama president E Sulaiman Musliyar and general secretary Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar urged believers to view seriously any instances of Islamic celebrations and ceremonies being conducted in violation of religious boundaries.
The leaders specifically said that displaying young women among unrelated men on public roads and stages, and incorporating non-Islamic customs and forms of celebration into such programmes, were not appropriate for believers and not permissible.
They also urged Mahallu (local mosque-community) office-bearers and the leadership of mosques, madrassas, other institutions and organisations to remain vigilant and ensure that such programmes are conducted strictly in accordance with Islamic norms.
All programmes organised at the Mahallu level and elsewhere should be conducted while preserving religious values and discipline, the leaders said.
Everyone has a responsibility to pass on morally upright examples to the coming generations, the scholars' body added.
