A prominent Sunni leader in Kerala, India, has caused controversy by claiming that women are only fit to give birth. Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musliyar, the general secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, made a series of sexist comments while addressing a study camp in the Kerala city of Kozhikode.
He reportedly said that “gender equality is something which is never going to be a reality. It is against Islam, humanity and was intellectually wrong.”
Musliyar questioned the courage of women, saying that they could not handle crisis situations. He used the medical field as an example, expressing his belief that “women doctors can do general medicine or manage pediatrics. But they don’t have the courage for big surgical interventions.”
Perhaps worst of all was his assertion that "Gender equality is not practical; women can only give birth, while the world is under the control of men."
The Indian religious leader is known for an early and outspoken stance against Daesh (ISIS). But his outlandishly misogynistic statements this week are only the latest in a long line.
Known for his conservative views, he first became the focus of attention after supporting polygamy and stating that Muslim women’s legal age for marriage should be reduced to 16.
He supported Kozhikode Farook College in its decision to have boys and girls sit separately in classrooms and in the canteen, dismissing debate of that stance as “part of a calculated move to destroy Islam and culture.”
