KOZHIKODE: The AP faction of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama has objected to the participation and public presentation of young women at celebrations in Kerala, including programmes where girls dance on stages or in public spaces in the presence of men, saying such activities should not cross “Islamic boundaries”.

In a statement, Samastha president E. Sulaiman Musliyar and general secretary Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar called on Mahal committees, mosques, madrasas and other Muslim institutions and organisations to exercise greater vigilance over programmes conducted under their auspices.

The leaders said celebrations and community programmes should strictly conform to Islamic norms and objected to practices they described as incompatible with the religion.

The statement comes amid widespread Onam celebrations at educational institutions across Kerala’s Malabar region, where students, including Muslim girls, have participated in cultural programmes and other festivities.

Videos showing Muslim girls taking part in Onam celebrations in different parts of Malabar have circulated widely on social media. The issue has also prompted discussions within sections of the Muslim community over the participation of girls in programmes associated with Milad-e-Sharif, or Nabi Dinam.

The Samastha leaders specifically raised objections to young women appearing before unrelated men in programmes held on public roads and stages.

“Displaying young women among unrelated men in public spaces and on stages, as well as adopting customs and celebration practices considered incompatible with Islam, are not appropriate for believers and should not be permitted,” the statement said.

The organisation urged the leadership of local Mahals as well as mosque and madrasa authorities to ensure that programmes organised by them or affiliated institutions remain within what it considers Islamic norms.