A Delhi move by the ‘Grand Mufti’ Premium

How Aboobacker Musliar reaffirmed his position without taking a partisan stand

The recent meeting between Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, Kerala’s prominent Sunni leader and general secretary of the All India Jamiyyathul Ulama, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi was no routine courtesy call.

The timing was significant: held ahead of Ramzan, the meeting also came just ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections and during the centenary year of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the State’s largest body of traditional Islamic scholars. In this context, it appeared less about the “Grand Mufti of India” asserting his religious stature or extracting concrete assurances from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and more about carefully calibrated optics.

The meeting reinforced Mr. Aboobacker Musliar’s standing as a powerful socio-political force within the Muslim community. In a State crowded with leaders claiming influence, his stature remains distinctive — not only within Kerala but also beyond it, where he is known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad.

The public relations exercise mattered for Mr. Modi too. Both the leaders shared multiple photographs and exchanged warm words on social media.

Mr. Aboobacker Musliar suggested that the meeting marked the capstone of his 16-day Kerala Yatra under the slogan “with humanity,” during which he interacted with people across social and political divides. He indicated that he shared the concerns and experiences gathered during that tour, including issues affecting minorities, with Mr. Modi. Yet little is known about the Prime Minister’s response to these concerns or any substantive outcomes. The half-hour interaction, by all accounts, was cordial.

In Kerala, reactions to the meeting were predictably divided. The 87-year-old Sunni scholar has been lauded for reaching out to the Prime Minister and for highlighting the concerns of minority communities, essential during a time of growing polarisation. But he has also been widely condemned for his remarks to the Urdu media, saying Muslims in India have been experiencing no major problems under the BJP government. This has been seen by many as a way of softening criticism of the government’s policies, widely viewed as unsettling to minorities. Among his critics were proponents of “political Islam,” a group he recently described in a resolution as a major threat to communal harmony in Kerala. His supporters were quick to defend him, however, arguing that leaders like him must exercise caution and strategic restraint, particularly in statements to the media.