Archive · 4 Sep 2026
Satheesan’s Facebook Post Criticising Islamic Scholar Disappears, CMO Cites Glitch
Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar said women should mostly stay at home and that public mixing could cause serious problems.
V.D. Satheesan disagreed and called this an old-fashioned idea.
He said women should take part in society and public life.
He also mentioned women from Islamic history who had important public roles.
Sunni scholars connected to the cleric met Satheesan and said he had misunderstood Islamic history.
Soon after that meeting, a video of Satheesan’s criticism disappeared from Facebook.
The Chief Minister’s Office said this happened because of a technical problem.
The video was still available on Instagram, and the full press conference remained on Facebook.
Opposition politicians said the explanation was not believable and alleged that the post had been withdrawn for political reasons.
A Facebook video of V.D. Satheesan criticising Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar disappeared from Satheesan’s official page.
The Chief Minister’s Office attributed the disappearance to a technical error involving the post’s Facebook-Instagram link.
The video remains available on Satheesan’s Instagram page, while the full press conference remains on Facebook, according to the CMO.
Satheesan called remarks supporting women’s confinement to their homes a 19th-century view and cited Islamic historical figures to support women’s public participation.
Sunni scholars objected to Satheesan’s interpretation, while CPI(M) and BJP leaders accused his office of offering an implausible explanation or withdrawing the post for political reasons.
- Who
- V.D. Satheesan, Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, Sunni scholars from the Kanthapuram-led faction, and CPI(M) and BJP leaders.
- What
- A Facebook video containing Satheesan’s criticism of the scholar’s remarks about women disappeared from his official page.
- When
- The video disappeared shortly after a meeting on Wednesday night; the CMO attributed the issue to a technical error on Thursday.
- Where
- The video disappeared from Satheesan’s Facebook page but remained on Instagram; the controversy followed remarks made at an Islamic conference in Kochi.
- Why
- The CMO said a technical problem involving Facebook and Instagram caused the disappearance, while political critics alleged the post was withdrawn after objections from Sunni scholars.
Satheesan and the Chief Minister’s Office
Sunni Scholars and Political Critics
Women’s role in society
Satheesan and the Chief Minister’s Office
Satheesan said women should not be confined to their homes and argued that Islamic history includes women with public, business, leadership, and governance roles.
Sunni Scholars and Political Critics
Scholars from the Kanthapuram-led Sunni faction said Satheesan had misinterpreted Islamic texts and history, particularly his references to Khadija and Aisha.
Reason the Facebook video disappeared
Satheesan and the Chief Minister’s Office
The CMO said a technical error involving the Facebook-Instagram link caused the post to disappear and said Satheesan had not retracted his position. It pointed to the video’s continued availability on Instagram and the full press conference on Facebook.
Sunni Scholars and Political Critics
CPI(M) and BJP figures questioned the explanation. BJP Kerala alleged that Satheesan withdrew the post after meeting Muslim scholars to protect his position as Chief Minister.
Political implications
Satheesan and the Chief Minister’s Office
The CMO said reports that the post was removed following protests by Sunni leaders were misleading and maintained that Satheesan’s criticism remained publicly available.
Sunni Scholars and Political Critics
Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged that the incident showed Congress had compromised its claims about women’s empowerment and was influenced by reactionary forces.
- Disputed remarks
- Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar said women should remain confined to their homes and that public mingling could cause “great destruction.”
- Satheesan’s response
- Satheesan called the view a 19th-century mindset with no place in a progressive society and said women should be part of the mainstream.
- Historical examples
- Satheesan cited Khadija, Aisha, Queen Bilqis, and women whose voices were respected in the court of Khalifa Umar.
- Missing content
- A portion of Satheesan’s press-conference video, reportedly titled “I do not agree with that statement,” disappeared from Facebook.
- CMO explanation
- The CMO said the post disappeared because of a technical error arising from its linking between Instagram and Facebook.
- Content still available
- The video remained accessible on Satheesan’s Instagram page, and the full press conference remained available on Facebook.
- Political reaction
- CPI(M) leader P. Rajeev mocked the technical-error explanation, while BJP Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar alleged hypocrisy and political withdrawal.
