Kerala: Clerics’ body against idea, IUML drops protest at mosques

🔴 The trigger was the Left Democratic Front government’s decision to assign recruitment to the Kerala Wakf Board through the Public Service Commission, the state’s recruitment agency.

CM Pinarayi Vijayan has been urged to freeze the project in the wake of the state’s fragile public finance and ecological vulnerability. (File/Tashi Tobgyal)

Facing heat within the community and as well as an influential body of clerics, Indian Union Muslim League, an ally of Congress in Kerala, Thursday dropped its plan to use mosques as a venue of protest against the CPI(M)-led state government’s “anti-Muslim stand”.

At a meeting of Muslim organisations held under the aegis of IUML, a decision had been taken to deliver talks during the Friday namaz (on December 3) to “enlighten” the community. The trigger was the Left Democratic Front government’s decision to assign recruitment to the Kerala Wakf Board through the Public Service Commission, the state’s recruitment agency.

On Thursday, Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema, an influential organisation of Sunni clerics in Kerala, came out against the proposed protes, forcing the IUML to drop the plan. Senior IUML leader and member of the influential Panakkad family, Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, said: “The protest (plan) at mosques was abandoned. There has been a bid to politicise the issue. We don’t want to convert the mosques into a venue of tension. We will, however, continue our protest in other ways,’’ he said.

Earlier in the day, Ulema president Syed Muhammad Jifri Muthukoya Thangal said in Kozhikode that they don’t want to make mosques a protest venue. “Samastha has objected to the government’s decision to hand over Wakf Board recruitment to the PSC. We have registered our protest with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is ready to look into the community’s concerns. But we don’t want to create a law-and-order situation at mosques. We will not be responsible if any untoward incident happens at the mosques,” he said.

Samasatha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema is a body of eminent Sunni scholars who enjoy the highest support base among Kerala Muslims. It also backs the IUML. Its decision to pull out of the protest at mosques is a political setback for IUML.

On Wednesday, the IUML call had drawn flak from CPI(M) which said would lead to communal polarisation.

Shaju Philip

Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More

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