Fri Jan 24 15:40:16 UTC 2025: ## IUML Defends Religious Leader Amidst CPI(M) Criticism
**Malappuram, Kerala, January 24, 2025** – The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has strongly defended Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar following criticism from CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan. Govindan labeled Musliar’s statement against men and women intermingling during group exercises as “archaic.”
IUML State secretary P.M.A. Salam countered Govindan’s criticism, questioning the CPI(M)’s involvement in religious matters. Salam argued that religious leaders should be allowed to express their views without interference from those outside the faith. He praised Musliar’s consistent religious stance and his judgment in opposing perceived wrongdoings.
However, Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama State president Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal issued a veiled warning to the IUML, suggesting that their support for Musliar was politically motivated and urged them to implement the religious rules in their own gatherings. Thangal implied hypocrisy, stating that some had previously ridiculed religious rules but now selectively supported them based on political expediency. The differing opinions highlight a complex interplay of religious and political viewpoints within the state.
First Piper 