Kerala minister faces social media attack for remarks on Muslim call to prayer, backtracks

Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cheriyan, who has come under criticism on social media for his recent remarks about the Muslim call to prayer, on Monday appealed to the people to ''clear the misunderstanding'' about it.

Addressing a programme here on Sunday, the minister had said that he had not heard prayer calls being made in mosques in Saudi Arabia, where he had visited recently, as they were restricted to the premises of the places of worship themselves.

As he faced severe criticism on social media from various quarters for his comments, Cheriyan backtracked and said his statement was based on wrong information he had received during his recent tour to the Gulf nation, and appealed to the people to ''clear the misunderstanding'' caused by it.

In a Facebook post, the minister also alleged that some people were spreading parts of his speech without understanding his intention.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)