Leaders of major Muslim bodies in the State, including Kerala Muslim Jamat led by Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar (left), and senior leaders of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) like P. K. Kunhalikutty (right), slammed Jamaat-e-Islami for its parleys with the RSS
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Jamaat-e-Islami has invited sharp criticism from other Muslim organisations in Kerala for a recent dialogue it held with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Several Muslim leaders in the State expressed displeasure at the parleys that a group of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders held with their RSS counterparts in New Delhi in January. The talks were held in secret and the news was kept under wraps until it leaked a few days ago.
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‘Cosying up to RSS’
Some of the Muslim organisations in Kerala went to the extent of saying that Jamaat-e-Islami was trying to cosy up to the RSS because it was afraid of the Hindu nationalist organistion and that it had some vested interests to protect.
The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the largest body of Islamic scholars in Kerala, has said that the Jamaat-e-Islami has let the Muslim community down by going for parleys with the RSS. Samastha Mushawara member Umer Faizy said that the Jamaat was afraid of the RSS.
Although the Samastha office-bearers have not made any formal comment about the development, Mr. Faizy’s comments represented the Samastha. Mr. Faizy is one of the hardcore leaders of the Samastha who always opposed any deviation from the traditional religious path.
Historic blunder
The Kerala Muslim Jamat, a major Muslim organization led by Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar, said that the Jamaat-e-Islami committed a historic blunder by engaging in friendly discussions with the RSS.
According to the Muslim Jamat, the RSS has been an enemy of India and Indian secular values and any dialogue with such an organization would be tantamount to embracing an enemy. “Theocracy is something that binds both the groups. Jamaat-e-Islami is becoming a tool for whitewashing the anti-India fascist forces,” said the Muslim Jamat.
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leaders P. K. Kunhalikutty and M. K. Muneer said that there was no special circumstance in the country for the Jamaat-e-Islami to go for a dialogue with the RSS.
Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) State president T. P. Abdullakoya Madani alleged that what took place between the Jamaat and the RSS was a unilateral dialogue, and that it was natural to suspect that the Jamaat had some vested interests to protect.
Sunni Yuvajana Sangham leader Abdussamad Pookkoottur said that the Jamaat’s stand about holding a dialogue with the RSS could not be accepted at any cost.
Nearly a month after the controversial talks were held in New Delhi, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind general secretary T. Arif Ali has revealed that the discussions focused on mob lynching and suppression of the marginalised sections in many parts of the country.
