THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
Journalist Aparna Kurup dared to do her job: she openly condemned archaic misogyny. During her debate show Big Dialogue, the BIG TV senior editor challenged Sunni Islamic scholar Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, who publicly declared that women must remain locked at home to prevent “great destruction” in society. Kurup’s “crime” was pointing out the obvious. Demanding equal rights, constitutional liberty, and public dignity for Muslim women who are routinely silenced under the guise of religious tradition.
Instead of sparking a progressive conversation, her defense of fundamental human rights unleashed an avalanche of extremist outrage. Religious conservatives and bad-faith critics immediately weaponized accusation of “offensive phrasing” to divert accountability away from the cleric’s regressive statements.
Caving to intense intimidation, BIG TV pulled the broadcast from all social media platforms and issued an unconditional public apology.
Yet, as history proves, appeasing online mobs only fuels their hostility. The forced apology did nothing to appease her harassers; it “emboldened” them. Radicals revealed Kurup’s private address, posted photos of her family, and flooded her inbox with graphic death threats. Also, offering bounties for her harm.
Kurup was ultimately forced to seek police protection and file an FIR with the Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Police Cell. Her ordeal exposes a bleak reality. When a female journalist stands up for women’s “autonomy against clerical authority, fanaticism takes priority over free speech” , leaving the defender to be hunted.
Reference
1.https://organiser.org/2026/09/02/378313/bharat/islamist-pressure-silences-journalist-aparna-kurup-how-keralam-media-caved-to-clerical-misogyny/?hl=en-
2.https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/kerala-journalist-aparna-kurup-continues-to-face-threats-over-kanthapuram-show-despite-apology?hl=en-
3.https://www.opindia.com/news-updates/keralam-big-tv-anchor-aparna-kurup-forced-to-apologise-over-critical-program-misogynist-comments-grand-mufti-aboobaker-musliyar/?hl=en-
