Kerala has long preened itself for being India’s most literate state. According to the 2011 census, almost 96.11 per cent of males and 92.07 per cent of females were literate in the state. But that was 10 years ago.
Over the years, India’s most literate state has also endowed the world with several Islamic clerics, whose proclamations, sometimes absurd but most of the times bigoted, have belied the spectacular literacy rates that the state and its residents have often bragged about. This is, of course, not to say that the emergence of these Islamic preachers in Kerala is a recent phenomenon. In all probability, they and others like them might have been active in Kerala for decades. But the advent of social media has undoubtedly played a huge role in bringing them into prominence, and in the process, also shedding light on where the country’s most literate state is heading towards.
Here’s a list of Muslim clerics from Kerala who have risen to prominence on account of their absurd and sometimes highly bigoted comments. The only consistency that lies in their distinctly preposterous and irrational utterances is their tendency to attribute the remarks to their holy scriptures.
‘Those who don’t chant “Bismi” while having sex run the risk of transmitting the devil through penis’: Islamic preacher in Kerala in a viral video
Recently, a three-year-old video of a Muslim cleric from Kerala had swept the internet by storm. In the video, the cleric says it is important for men to chant “Bismi” while having sex, otherwise they stand the risk of transmitting “Satan” into the female’s body through their penis.
Imam from Kerala: “Husband should recite #Bismi before having sex with his wife otherwise the Satan hiding in his sexual organ will enter his Wife”!!pic.twitter.com/UeQLkhRNHQ
— നചികേതസ് (@nach1keta) November 26, 2021
The cleric says those who fail to chant “Bismi” while having sex pose the danger of transferring Satan(Devil) from his body to his partner’s body. He also said that babies born from such encounters would resemble Satan.
‘Shopping malls are haram because women might visit beauty parlours and look at other men‘: Islamic “scholar” Hussain Salafi
There is no dearth of Islamic “scholars” in Kerala who would make senseless remarks citing their religious scriptures. Hussain Salafi, an Islamic “scholar” from Kerala recently stated that Muslims should stay away from malls because Allah does not like malls. As per a report by Janam TV, Hussain Salafi said that men and women roam together in malls and Allah dislikes malls.
The Islamic scholar added that Muslims should boycott malls. He asserted that Allah’s favourite places are mosques.
Salafi further added that women who visit malls also visit beauty parlours. Malls see visitors and shoppers from different cultures who wear all different kinds of dresses. “These are the children of the devil”, Salafi added, Muslims who visit malls are tarnishing the image of the whole community.
Woman with big breasts available in Paradise’, ‘Hoors do not urinate or defecate’: Kerala Maulana’s X-rated vision of paradise stirs controversy
Another Muslim cleric in Kerala gave a titillating description of what constitutes Paradise. Maulana EP Abubakar Qasmi, in one of his speeches, had recounted the advantages of being a Muslim and revealed what Muslims get in ‘Jannat’ or paradise. According to EP Abubakar Qasmi, who gave Islamic speeches in Malayalam, ‘women with big breasts’ are found in paradise. Protests ensued after the offensive language was used by Maulana Qasmi on women as his speeches are popular with Muslims on social media.
Maulana Qasmi further claimed that rivers of wine flow in paradise along with gardens and big bungalows. He went on and said that the women who were in Allah’s paradise neither urinated nor defecated. He also added that Muslims going to Paradise get the privilege of sitting in the lap of the ‘Hoors’ there.
According to reports, the Maulana said, “If a Muslim going to Paradise needs women with big breasts, then Allah gives them the ‘hoor’ of their choice. In Paradise, Allah has made a river of wine, and those who live there have full permission to swim. There is no restriction on drinking wine because it is Allah who has created the river of wine.” However, in general, alcohol is considered haram in Islam and consuming it is prohibited.
‘Universal Red cross symbol and the Rod of Asclepius symbol are un-Islamic’: Kerala’s Salafi preacher Abdul Muhsin Aydeed
Back in 2017, another Islamic cleric from Kerala had cooked up a bit of a storm after he has declared that the universal Red cross symbol and the Rod of Asclepius symbol used extensively in the medical field are un-Islamic.
As per a TOI report, a controversial Salafi preacher named Abdul Muhsin Aydeed, in a write-up titled, “Some Islamic Advice to Doctors”, has suggested that Muslim doctors should not use such symbols as they are against the monotheism in Islam.
This write-up was reportedly carried by a Facebook page named Alaswala, Aydeed has claimed that the red cross signifies the concept of trinity in Christians. This as per Aydeed is the worst form of polytheism and is the most detested sin in Islam.
Coming to the Rod of Asclepius (serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius), he called it a belief which destroys Thouheed (monotheism), Islam’s cardinal principle and hence should be kept at arm’s length. He then urged Muslim doctors to avoid all the signs and slogans which are against Islam
‘Women who go out after 9 pm are prostitutes, they deserve to be raped’: Islamic cleric Swalih Bathery
Absurdity is not the only forte of the Islamic clerics in Kerala. Some of them indulge in blatant religious bigotry and misogyny to boot. In a video that had gone viral in July this year, Maulana Swalih Bathery, a famous cleric in Kerala, was heard saying that those women going out at night after 9 PM are nothing but prostitutes, and they should be killed.
In the controversial video, Salih reportedly justified rapist Govindachamy who had raped and killed a girl named Soumya in 2011. The cleric criticised the judgement and the judge who heard the Soumya case. According to Swalih, Govindachamy had said that he raped Soumya because she was travelling at night, and according to him, every girl travelling at night was a prostitute.
Soumya, who worked at a mall in Ernakulam, was attacked and robbed when she was returning home by train by serial offender Govindachamy. Govindachamy jumped off the train after her, hit her with a stone and raped her. The victim had died five days later.
Muslim preacher in Kerala asks Class 12 students to kill those who leave Islam
In June 2021, an undated video of a Muslim cleric advocating murders of apostates had gone viral on the internet. In the viral video, Shafi Saadi Kumaramputtur, a teacher of the Samastha Kerala Sunni education board preached that anyone who leaves the religion of Islam should be killed.
While taking an online session of class 12 students, Shafi Saadi can be heard saying, “If someone quits Islam/religion then what is his fate? Islam asks him to repent, still, if he does not repent then he needs to be killed by the ruler or who is responsible.”
“Is that violence? No. But it is to remind the followers of Islam that what is the consequence of leaving the religion and how he will be treated after death. He will go to hell,” Shafi Saadi preached further.
Controversial Islamic preacher Mujahid Balussery asks people to turn Kerala into an Islamic Caliphate
Last year, controversial Islamic preacher Mujahid Balussery had attracted the wrath of the public after he made a clarion call for Muslims to turn Kerala into an Islamic state in the next 10 years.
In one of his provocative videos that had gone viral on the Internet, Balussery was allegedly heard calling out “Mujahid”(Arabic term for Jihadis) to turn Kerala into a caliphate. He had said in the video of sending all the Muslims of Kerala to Mujahid mosques just on Fridays to turn Kerala into an Islamic State in 10 years.
He had further added, “We have a duty to perform here. If we close down some of the other Muslim religious branches in Kerala and bring them under Mujahids, we can turn Kerala into Islamic State within 10 years. A man can be morally perfect in every way but will be denied heaven if he worships other gods. Because saying ‘Guruvayurappa save me’ is shirk and is a bigger sin than adultery, homosexuality or lending money for interest and the person will go to hell.”
Earlier too, the controversial leader had made disparaging remarks against Hinduism and Hindu festivals and made an abominable comparison of Hindu temples with brothels.
“If you donate money to a Hindu temple or festival, you’re encouraging shirk, which is the gravest sin. You wouldn’t donate money to a brothel or a pub,” the preacher had said in a video that surfaced in 2017 and which had triggered angry reactions from Hindus.
