Kerala’s ‘Islam-Friendly Gym’: Just A Marketing Pitch That Was Not Weighed Out? Who Is The Owner?
Kerala’s ‘Islam-Friendly Gym’: Just A Marketing Pitch That Was Not Weighed Out? Who Is The Owner? Published By, Last Updated: June 09, 2026, 13:51 IST
Kerala’s ‘Islam-Friendly Gym’: Just A Marketing Pitch That Was Not Weighed Out? Who Is The Owner? Published By, Last Updated: June 09, 2026, 13:51 IST Is Muthu the owner or merely a donor for the 15-year-old fitness centre in Puthunagaram, Palakkad? ‘Rules in accordance with Sharia-based guidelines’ was just a marketing tagline? Rapid Read Nawaz Muthu T, from whose social media handle the viral video was posted. Amid the controversy over the promotion of a gym in Kerala as ‘Islam-friendly’, questions are now being raised about Nawaz Muthu T, from whose social media handle the viral — but now deleted — video was posted. Is Muthu the owner or merely a donor for the 15-year-old fitness centre in Puthunagaram, Palakkad, that is currently being revamped? ‘Rules in accordance with Sharia-based guidelines’ was just a marketing tagline? News18 explains. Islam-friendly gym: Who announced the rules? Why did it start a row? The announcement was posted from the Instagram profile of Nawaz Muthu T. The video, which was subsequently deleted following massive social media backlash and political debate, listed the features of the proposed model. No Public Music: Loud music or film songs are not permitted on the gym floor, though members are permitted to use personal headphones. Strict Gender Segregation: Men and women are assigned entirely separate workout timings and schedules to eliminate mixed-gender training.
Same-Gender Trainers: Male trainers are assigned exclusively to men, and female instructors are designated for women. Modest Dress Code: Members are required to cover their awrah (body parts mandated to be concealed under Islamic law). According to the announcement, women would be expected to wear modest exercise clothing, including a hijab or burqa. Tight gym apparel is prohibited. Halal Dietary Offerings: Any food or supplements served on the premises would be strictly halal. The announcement triggered intense public polarisation and a wider political debate. Critics and political organisations accused the facility of introducing religious segregation into public commercial spaces, framing it as prioritising “Sharia over the Constitution". BJP appeals to Kerala CM Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday urged Chief Minister VD Satheesan to ensure there was no appeasement of radical groups after reports emerged of an “Islam-friendly gym" being launched in the northern district of Palakkad. In a post on X, Chandrasekhar, who represents the Nemom constituency in the state Assembly, directly addressed Satheesan, saying: “We will not allow this creeping subterfuge in our state, Shri @vdsatheesan. You have made claims that there will be no appeasement. Please live up to it before things boil over." Chandrasekhar was responding to another X post that claimed a gym in Palakkad had been converted to operate under Islamic guidelines.
There was no immediate response from Satheesan’s office to Chandrasekhar’s remarks. ‘Not what I intended; all are welcome’: Video deleted Following the backlash, the video was deleted. Muthu told NDTV that the idea was to introduce specific time slots that would offer greater privacy for women, including women instructors, and an environment without music during those hours. “This is a Muslim-majority area and we wanted them to come to our gym without inhibition… The concept did not spread in the manner I intended. Certain groups deliberately turned it into a controversy," he said. Muthu further claimed that the facility would continue to welcome people from all communities. The BJP-NDA predicted this dangerous politics. #ApakadamPoliticsA Cong/IUML/JamaatIslami govt would talibanize parts of Kerala, creating pockets of radical Islam contrary to Constitution of India and every law of this land. Reality is that when a govt is built on appeasement… Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) June 4, 2026 Who is Muthu, though — owner or donor? According to NDTV, Ahmed Settu, one of the partners associated with the gym, said Muthu is neither the owner nor an official partner of ASB Fitness Centre. According to him, Muthu was previously associated with the gym as a trainee and later offered to financially support its renovation after the facility shut down four months ago.
Settu identified himself and one Shahul Hameed as the long-time operators of the facility. Muthu’s exact role and ownership of the gym remains unclear. “Muthu said he would invest money to rebuild the gym and came up with the idea of introducing special slots without music and with privacy arrangements for women. It was presented as a marketing concept," Settu told NDTV. Settu, however, rejected the row. “Aren’t there already gyms that provide exclusive timings for women? This is being unnecessarily turned into a controversy." With agency inputs News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci... Read More First Published: June 09, 2026, 13:40 IST News explainers Kerala’s ‘Islam-Friendly Gym’: Just A Marketing Pitch That Was Not Weighed Out? Who Is The Owner? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
The BriefWire