'Don't Cross Boundaries Of Morality': Kerala Muslim Body Urges Women To Follow Traditional Roles

Last Updated:February 10, 2026, 07:54 IST

Samastha urges Muslim women to uphold traditional values, warning against modern influences, sparking debate on balancing Islamic rights and public participation.

The Samastha Kerala Jem’iyyathul Ulema, a prominent Muslim scholarly body in Kerala, has passed a resolution expressing concern over what it described as growing efforts to draw Muslim women into public activities that, it said, “distract them from their fundamental responsibilities."

The resolution was adopted at a conference of the organisation, where scholars reiterated that “nobility and modesty are the adornment of women" and emphasised adherence to boundaries laid down by traditional Islamic scholarship as the basis for both “material and spiritual success."

While underlining that Islam grants women the right to education, employment, inheritance and spiritual individuality, the resolution cautioned against what it termed the “influence of modernity and liberalism" leading women to “cross the boundaries of morality in public places."

“The tendency to drag Muslim women into public activities that distract them from their fundamental responsibilities should not be encouraged," the resolution stated.

The scholarly body also called for preserving what it described as the special consideration given by Islam to the dignity and safety of women. It urged the women’s community to follow the example of the “women of the Companions" of Prophet Muhammad and their “pious predecessors," while warning against what it referred to as “distorted progressive arguments."

The resolution has sparked discussion within social and religious circles, with supporters viewing it as a reaffirmation of traditional values, while critics argue that such positions risk limiting women’s participation in public life. Samastha leaders, however, maintain that the resolution seeks to balance women’s rights granted by Islam with moral and social responsibilities as understood by traditional scholarship.

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