In the eye of a storm by describing gender equality as "un-Islamic" and that women could never equal men as "they are fit only to deliver children", Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliar today claimed his statement has been "deliberately distorted and misinterpreted."
"Islam stands for the safety of women in a milieu of extreme feminism and misogyny. A fair approach is one that empowers them through education and social upliftment and in this sense we are implementing systematic and wide establishments under Markaz and Sunni organizations", he said in a release.
Musliar said what his speech referred to was to give special support and care for women in a situation where they were kept apart from social sphere. This special care and support needs to be extended to women in public and professional life and this has been reiterated many a time by the judiciary.
"We live and abide by the Constitution of India which provides for equal justice to all irrespective of caste, creed or sex," Musliar, chief of All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, said.
Musliar said he had referred to the nobility of motherhood while talking about duties of men and women in family life and reiterated the plain fact 'only woman can give birth'.
"I stick to the statement that childbirth and upbringing of the children are of the noblest deeds we can ever think of. This pro-women statement has been deliberately misunderstood and I have been quoted as saying women are capable only of childbirth," he said.
Triggering controversy, 76-year-old Aboobacker Musliar had on November 29 described as "un-Islamic" the concept of gender equality and said that women could never equal men as "they are fit only to deliver children".
He said women had no mental strength and the power to control the universe, "which lies in the hands of men." He also said "gender equality is against Islam, humanity and was intellectually wrong.
The scholar's remarks against reservation for women in elections had set off another controversy recently.
He had said 50 per cent reservation of seats for women in civic polls was "too high" but retracted the statement later.
His remarks had triggered strong reaction from parties and activists who demanded that he withdraw them and apologise.
Opposition CPI(M) and ruling Congress had lashed out at the Islamic scholar over his "anti-women" remarks.
