Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad (born as A. P. Aboobacker at Kanthapuram on 22 March 1931) is the tenth and current Grand Mufti of India. and General Secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama (the Indian Muslim Scholars Association).
Grand Mufti of India
Musliyar was chosen as the Grand Mufti of India by the All India Tanzeem Ulamae Islam in a programme conducted at Ramlila Maidan after the death of Grand Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan, following an illness on 20 July 2018. The inauguration took place on Sunday, 24 February 2019. It set a record attendance for any event held in Ramlila Maidan.
After his election conducted several receptions in various countries including UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Malaysia and Indonesia especially at his birthplace in India, Kozhikode. Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Sri P. Sreeramakrishnan, Kerala Minister TP Ramakrishnan, Karnataka Ministers UT Khader and Rahim Khan, and A Pradeepkumar member of 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly, Kerala Haj Committee chairman C Mohammed Faizi, Tamil Nadu Haj Committee chairman Haji Abdul Jabbar, Mayor of Kozhikode Thottathil Raveendran, Zamorin K.C. Unniyanujan Raja and Dr MGS Narayanan, politicians, religious and cultural leaders including from other Indian states participated in the civil reception. In the function, Minister T. P. Ramakrishnan expressed appreciations to the Grand Mufti for the Government of Kerala. You have got a golden visa for 10 years from the Dubai government, you are the first Muslim in India to get this honor.
Peace and interfaith dialogue work
Musliyar has conducted and attended many national and international conferences for peace and interfaith dialogue.
He is the Chairman of the Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference and was one of the speakers at the First World Tolerance Summit, conducted by the International Institute for Tolerance Dubai, UAE. The tagline of the second Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference was "Renaissance of the World Through Peace". In 2019 he attended Global Conference of Human Fraternity and met with Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church.
In 2014 he launched a campaign to plant 100,000 trees throughout India as part of preparations for the Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference, held in New Delhi.
Educational revivalist
Musliyar educated several scholars from different parts of India. He is involved with Markaz Knowledge City, Unani Medical College, and with higher education and research. He said in an interview with Khaleej Times that the "Education is key to peace".
Views
Musliyar has condemned Islamic extremism. He says that "Militant groups such as the Islamic State (IS) are trying to defame a religion that advocates peace and tolerance." In November 2015, he commented on gender equality, saying: "Gender equality is something which is never going to be a reality. It is against Islam, humanity and was intellectually wrong." He said, "only woman can give birth." But some media misquoted him as saying women are capable only of childbirth.
Fatwa against ISIS
Musliyar was the first to issue a fatwa against ISIS. Musliyar issued his Fatwa on ISIS on 27 August 2014 CE. This is the first fatwa—a nonbinding legal opinion in Islamic law—issued against ISIS according to Ashwani Kumar writing in Khaleej Times. The document, a copy of which is held in the United Arab Emirates National Archives, was a commission to all Indian Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama to raise awareness against terrorism. At the time of the fatwa, Abubakr did not hold the title of Grand Mufti since his election to the office came on 24 February 2019. He has also issued fatwas a second time against ISIS and against other terrorist groups.
On CAB and CAA
Musliyar opposed the Citizenship Amendment Bill and Citizenship Amendment Act, and he organised and attended in many protests against the act. He did not support the hartal was organised by SDPI and said the hartal is needless. He visited the family members of protesters killed in police firing at Mangalore to express his condolences. He was widely criticized for his stand on protesting women against the CAA. He stated that "women shouldn’t hit streets against CAA, and shouldn't raise slogans or clench fists."