Kerala “Islam-friendly” gym controversy: Is religion-based fitness the new trend? Even after the owner’s clarification, the question remains – is there any social agenda hidden in the gym? Separate gym rules for men and women: Convenience or the beginning of division in society? Social media uproar: Is this initiative really for everyone or just for a section?
Islam Friendly Gym: Kerala, which is said to be the most literate state of India, has currently come to the center of a unique and very sensitive controversy. A fitness center in Kerala’s Palakkad district declared itself an “Islam-friendly gym”, sending the Internet into a frenzy. This debate became so heated that within no time the advertisement had to be removed and the gym owner was forced to come in front of the camera and give a clarification. After all, what did a simple looking fitness center say that it sparked a debate in the entire country?
A promotional video and a midnight internet blast
The root of the entire controversy became a promotional video of a gym located in Puthunagaram, Palakkad. In this video, gym owner Nawaz Muthu T made an announcement that shocked the traditional fitness industry. Nawaz announced that his gym would run entirely on “Islam-friendly” rules. This meant no loud music inside the gym, separate workout times and locations for men and women, and separate trainers for both. Nawaz proudly claimed that this was the first experiment of its kind in Kerala. But he had no idea that this ‘unique experiment’ would take the form of a big controversy within a few hours.
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“Religious wall or business model?” Sharp questions on social media
As soon as the video went viral, there was a flood of criticism on social media platforms (especially X, formerly Twitter). People took an aggressive stance and started questioning whether fitness and exercise will now also be seen through the lens of religion? Some users took a sharp taunt and wrote, “Is it necessary to have division on the basis of religion everywhere?” While another user targeted the literacy of Kerala and wrote, “Does being 100 percent literate mean going back 1,000 years?” The controversy grew so much that in view of the huge opposition, the owner had to delete the original video from the internet.
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Secret behind strong U-turn: Malik Nawaz’s clarification
Gym owner Nawaz Muthu T, who came on the backfoot, immediately tried to calm the matter by releasing a new video. He denied that this gym is only for a particular community. Nawaz clarified, saying: “Many people are saying that this is a Muslim gym, or only for Muslims. I never said that this gym is only for Muslims. People of all religions can come here.”
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What does Islam-friendly mean?
Opening the suspense, Nawaz explained that this is not a new gym, but a fitness center that has been running for the last 15 years and has recently been renovated. Explaining the meaning of the word “Islam-friendly”, he said that its purpose is not to stop anyone, but to follow certain principles so that even those people who avoid loud music and mixed crowd (men and women being together) due to religious or personal reasons can come to the gym.
The unique rule of silent workout and the hesitation behind the scenes
Nawaz argued that many Muslim families and women, including his own, stay away from fitness centers simply because it is impossible to turn off loud music in regular gyms and women are hesitant to exercise in front of men they do not know. Now there is only one biggest and unique condition for entry into this gym – no music will be played on the gym’s speakers. Those who want to listen to music while exercising will have to use their own headphones.
The Endless Debate: Is It Conservatism or Freedom?
Even after this clarification by the owner, the internet is divided into two factions. While on one hand there are allegations of conservatism, on the other hand supporters of women’s safety and privacy are praising this business model.
A female user on Now it remains to be seen whether this ‘silent gym’ of Palakkad gets closed in the fire of controversies or sets a new trend in the future.