Indian Muslims Force Kerala Newspaper To Apologize For Offensive Comments Against Prophet

Kerala, 2 Jumadal Akhir 1437/11 March 2016 (MINA) – Mathrubhumi, a leading Malayalam daily in the southern Indian state of Kerala, put out an apology on its front page on Thursday after it printed a purportedly offensive comment curated from social media on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in its Kozhikode and Thrissur editions on Wednesday.

The apology came after enraged Muslim organizations held protests outside the newspaper’s offices. Groups like the Popular Front of India (PFI) said the comment hurt the sentiments of the community, International Islamic News Agency (IINA) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The newspaper in its apology said the comment, that was picked up from social media, was added as a reaction to the speech made by the High Court judge Justice Kemal Pasha on the topic ‘Law against domestic abuse’ at a seminar. The judge also faces heat from Muslim scholars for saying that Muslim women faced discrimination under the Muslim personal law.

“We understand the comments hurt the sentiments of a section of believers. We apologize deeply for the error,” the newspaper said. Mathrubhumi also confirmed that it would take appropriate action against those responsible for the careless mistake.

The newspaper management additionally requested the state government to take appropriate action against those who posted such comments that are posted on social media. (T/P006/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)