The Indian Union Muslim League has become almost everybody’s favourite whipping boy. But, is the League more sinned against than sinning, vis-a-vis the Left, other community organizations? Read on.

Left singing saffron tune

Paul Zacharia

The Muslim community in Kerala - the second largest faith at 27% of the population - is in a peculiar situation.

On the one side, it is, as a whole, the most educated, prosperous, culturally and politically mainstream-located and upwardly mobile Muslim group in India.

But there is also a deliberate and continuing attempt by forces within the community itself to persuade its members that they are a suffering minority and thus entrench them in a manipulated sense of victim-hood.

On the other, various political and communal forces in Kerala are making well-orchestrated attempts to paint Muslims in general in demonic colors, projecting them as a threat to Kerala's social fabric. It is a dangerous situation both for Muslims and the rest of Kerala.

On yet another side, there are misguided elements within the Muslim community itself exhibiting mindless religious extremism and arrogance.

There are also over-zealous Islamic 'patriots' like the foolish men in the education ministry who engineered the skewed departmental order on 'green blouses', who invite shame and condemnation not only upon themselves but also open the doors to anti-Muslim elements to attack the whole community.

The average Muslim who is nothing but just another Malayali shouldering the usual Malayali burdens, dreams and despairs and caught in the cross-fire is an unfortunate sitting duck bearing the brunt of it all.

The anti-Muslim discourse in Kerala has become hysterical, even viral, in recent times. Evidently it is the presence of the Muslim League in the governing UDF that is stirring the hornet's nest of communal jealousies and prejudices. Even a child knows that the League is no political saint.

It is as self-serving, short-sighted and opportunistic as every other party in the UDF and the LDF. Yet it must be said, on the whole, that the League represents a space of moderation and give-and-take in a community imprisoned in religious feudalism.

In specially targeting the Muslim League there seems to be a well-thought-out communal agenda to which even a so-called 'secular' party like the CPM is subscribing.

Forget the demagoguery of a man like Vellappally Natesan who recently dug up the rotten remains of the long-dead and buried cock-and-bull story of the Sangh Parivar, 'Love Jihad', to pollute Kerala again.

But look how the CPM, including VS Achuthanandan, is mounting attacks on the Muslim League using a rhetoric that is almost no different from that of, say, a killer like Narendra Modi. This bodes ill for the future of Kerala.

Because, whether the Muslim-bashers like it or not, the Muslims are here to stay. They are as good, as bad or as indifferent citizens of Kerala as the Hindus or Christians.

Even if some Hindus, Christians and Muslims do not like to accept it, we are all brothers and sisters and we have only one identity: the Malayali. We share a common future.

It seems extremely inadvisable to push into a corner a community that is, against all odds, building itself up as a partner in Kerala's progressive future.

The Muslims also will need to introspect urgently whether the bigots among them are leading them to a sane, modern world or back to the dark ages.

Draw a line between party and community

M.N. Karassery

The Indian Union Muslim League is in a pitiful time warp, a victim of credibility crisis and communal bashing by pro-Hindu-outfits and the Left camp.

Much of it’s been of the League’s making; the infighting, which led to Mr E T Mohammed Basheer losing the office of the general secretary, and the infamous Ice Cream Parlour Case.

On the other hand, fundamentalist and terrorist elements are infiltrating the League. On Neyyattinkara poll-eve, a Youth league local leader had the gumption to say he would not allow Congress leader K.Muraleedharan to enter the constituency.

To resist one’s entry into a place is undemocratic. This has never been the language of the League.

Apart from this, NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair and SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan have of late joined hands in targeting the League.

Criticize, they must. But they have been whipping up a communal angle as if aimed at consolidating the Hindu votes against the Muslim community.

They sought to paint the League as the sole arbiter of Muslim community, needing all Hindus to flock together. The League’s own lapses gave them the ammo.

For instance, the League erred in unilaterally announcing the name and portfolio of the fifth Minister. But the NSS and SNDP blamed the Muslim community for it. They conveniently forget there are Muslims in large numbers in other parties also.

This sort of propaganda will accentuate the communal divide and weaken our democracy.
Let alone the NSS and SNDP, even the CPI (M) and CPI are competing with each other to berate the Muslim League.

Mr A Vijayaraghavan (CPI-M) recently alleged that the League was trying to implement Muslim Religious Law (Shariat) in Malappuram district.

But he could not cite a single example. This is not criticism, but an allegation. Such allegations appeal to the Hindutva camp.

We need not spare Muslim League of criticism, but we must be discrete; draw a fine line between the party and the community.

League, this is no time to indulge in petty fads

K. Venu

Communist parties have been trying to brand the Muslim League communal by highlighting its name.
However, Communist parties had formed alliances with Muslim League for petty political gains.

The League has played the lead role in ensuring that the Muslim community, roughly one-fourth of the State's population, has remained largely secular.

The League's stand following the demolition of Babri Masjid was an example. There is no meaning in evaluating Muslim politics without understanding this fact.

But the League has to take conscious steps to ensure that the communal tinge in its name is neutralized by secular actions.

However, recent incidents cast a shadow on its secular credentials.

The fifth Minister row in the first stage of the Neyyattinkara by-election campaign had its impact on the election outcome.

There was nothing wrong in seeking an extra berth, given the party's strength in the Assembly.However, there is another side to it. Three parties in the UDF, with one MLA each, have been given representation in the ministry.

Each party has to make sacrifices for the common good of the UDF.

It is a fact that the League got the fifth berth by pressurizing the leading partner, Congress.

This helped BJP and LDF to garner Hindu votes that traditionally used to be with the UDF.

R Selvaraj won the election on account of his strong grassroots connections.

Neyyattinkara election results have taught the BJP and the CPI (M) a new lesson;they can rally Hindu votes by targeting the League.

The League leaders also understood this fact as was evident from their statements immediately after the by-election.

However, the latter deeds of the party did not reflect this understanding.

It was the timely leak of information that prevented the move to lease out Calicut University land to trusts headed by relatives of Muslim League leaders.

The controversy certainly has not helped secular politics. Recent allegations that posts in Calicut University have gone to members of a particular community are serious.

The League leaders tried to run for cover in the face of such allegations, denting their secular image.