Kerala Minister Saji Cherian Retracts Remarks That He Did Not Hear Azaan From Any Mosque in Saudi Arabia, Claims He Was Misled By 'Fellow Traveller'

Senior CPI(M) leader and Kerala Minister Saji Cherian courted yet another controversy over his remarks he did not hear any calls to prayer from mosques in Saudi Arabia during his recent visit to the country.

Addressing a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, Cherian said that he had an impression that Saudi Arabia was a country of extreme religious views, but he experienced it as a welcoming and progressive nation.

"I was surprised to learn that there is no call to prayer from mosques. When I asked the person accompanying me about this, he told me that prayers are held inside the mosques. If the call to prayer is heard outside, they (mosques) would face the consequences. As per their faith, they have the right to make the call to prayer. But, if it is heard outside (the mosque), it is a public nuisance," he said.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia passed an order restricting the volume of mosque loudspeakers acting on complaints about excessive noise emanating from mosques. The country's Islamic affairs ministry ruled that mosque speakers should be set at no more than one-third of their maximum volume.

Cherian's comments, however, came under criticism from the opposition Congress and a section of social media.

The Youth Congress unit of Kerala accused Cherian of undermining religious harmony by treating belief systems contemptuously.

"After inflicting damage to society, Cherian would withdraw his comment. This would only help the BJP further their agenda," Congress state vice president V T Balram said.

In an apparent damage control move, Cherain, who holds the Fisheries and Youth Affairs portfolio, took to social media to clarify his remarks. He claimed that his views on Azaan call not being heard in Saudi Arabia were based on wrong information he picked up from an ill-informed fellow traveller.

In July 2022, Cherian was forced to quit Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Cabinet on Wednesday after his diatribe against the Constitution caused a public uproar and triggered widespread protests by Congress and the BJP.

“We all say that India has a beautifully written Constitution. But, I would say that the Constitution is written to rob most people of India. An Indian wrote a Constitution which was prepared by the British. It has been practiced in this country for 75 years. Though there are traces of a few good things such as democracy and secularism in the Constitution, its aim is to exploit the common man” Cherian said while addressing a party programme in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district.

Cherian was asked to relinquish his cabinet position after the party's State secretariat had reportedly found his continuation in office legally and politically untenable.

After a hiatus of around six months, Cherian was quietly rehabilitated and reinducted into the cabinet in January 2023.