IUML trying to ‘smuggle in Sharia law’, alleges Kerala BJP chief Chandrashekhar

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrashekhar on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), accusing the Congress coalition partner of attempting to “smuggle in” an Islamic Sharia law-style system that he claimed could push women “back to the Stone Age”.

His remarks came days after Kerala Grand Mufti Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad triggered a controversy by stating that women should remain at home and stay away from public life.

Speaking to IANS, Chandrashekhar said: “I am appealing to every Indian across the country to observe what is happening in Kerala under this Congress-Muslim League government. It is extremely disturbing. The Indian Union Muslim League is today transgressing every constitutional propriety and boundary and is trying to smuggle in, through the back door, a foreign ideology and Islamic Sharia law kind of a system that could take our women and girls back to the stone ages. That is not acceptable.”

The Kerala BJP chief also targeted Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his recent comments on patriarchy. “Their (IUML) Minister keeps saying 'Religion is our priority'. If that is what the Indian Union Muslim League is, how come Rahul Gandhi talks about patriarchy and gives a certificate to the Indian Union Muslim League as a 'secular party'?” Chandrashekhar asked.

He alleged that the IUML is able to pursue such a line because the Congress government in Kerala is “under its thumb” and survives only with its support. “These are very disturbing trends in Kerala and is only happening because the Muslim League knows that the Congress government is under its thumb, and that is surviving because of the latter,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Grand Mufti has sought to clarify his remarks, saying his intention was not to demean women but to ensure their protection and respect. However, an analogy he used during the speech became the focus of the controversy.

To illustrate his point, he referred to a gold necklace displayed in a jewellery shop. He said a gold necklace is kept securely inside a cupboard, a box and protective packaging before being shown to customers, whereas a stone-grinding machine is often left by the roadside. He argued that if a gold necklace were left on the road, passers-by could touch it, affecting its beauty and value.

Using this comparison, he suggested that bringing women into public life could lead to “great destruction” and described purdah as a system designed to prevent such consequences.

(Inputs from IANS)