Thiruvanthapuram
Religious leaders in Kerala have decided to work towards peace among all religious denominations in the wake of mistrust and controversy generated by a Catholic priest’s statement linking the growing use of narcotics and inter-religious marriages by the youth to Islam.
The meeting initiated by Catholic priests - Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, Major Archbishop-Catholicos of Malankara Syrian Catholic Church – in the capital, saw leaders representing various sects and denominations in a huddle for two hours. In the end, they declared they would seek to 'heal the wounds' and work for “strengthening secular unity of the people of Kerala.”
The meeting of Christian, Muslims, and Hindu leaders happened amid growing resentment at Pala bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt’s ‘love jihad and narcotic jihad’ remarks.
The participants included Muslim Youth League State president Panakkad Syed Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal, Kozhikode Palayam Imam Hussain Madavoor, Thiruvananthapuram Palayam Imam,V.P. Suhaib Moulavi; Kerala Muslim Jamaath president Karamana Bayar; Thiruvananthapuram Archbishop (Latin rite) M. Soosa Pakiam; and Santhigiri Ashram general secretary Swami Gururetnam Jnana Thapaswi.
Cardinal Cleemis told the media persons that the Pala Bishop’s statement was not the prime agenda of the meeting, though it was organised in that context. He said the discussions primarily focused on strengthening communal harmony.
The meeting called for having inter-religious forums at the locals and ‘restraint, especially on the part of the religious and spiritual leaders, from wounding other communities.”
He said, on a personal level, he felt “narcotics must be viewed as narcotics alone.”
Claiming that the Pala bishop’s statements were neither condemned nor justified at the meeting, Munavvar Ali said a strong need was felt to address divisive efforts being made at the grassroots level and on social media to disrupt social harmony.
The Pala Bishop had claimed the existence of ‘narcotic jihad’ in the state targeting young people belonging to non-Muslim faiths. He also alleged that young women, belonging to Christianity and other non-Muslim faiths, were being lured by ‘jihadis’ through ‘love jihad’ and subjected to exploitation, forced religious conversion, and terrorist activities.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made light of the Bishop’s remarks and said he was hearing the term ‘narcotic jihad’ for the first time. He however said the issue of narcotics is an ‘anti-social’ issue and doesn’t have religious hues.
It may be recalled that the Pala Bishop is head of one of the largest and politically powerful churches in Kerala. He is highly respected by all religions. The Bishop is the author of 30 books.
The Syro-Malabar Church has clarified that Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt’s remark was a mere warning against the organized anti-social activities.
In a statement, the Church said the Bishop had no intention of defaming any community religion or creed. "It is unfortunate that the ongoing controversy over some of the warnings which Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt has given to the congregation. It is clear to everyone that he never spoke in a way that defamed any community, religion or creed. At the same time, he warned of some organized anti-social activities,"
The Congress said the Bishop had ‘crossed the line.’ Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan claimed that while cases of drugs, attacks against women, and murders may have increased, it’s wrong to pin them to a particular community or religion.
Syed Jiffri Muthukoya Thangal, president of the Samastha Kerala Jamiat-ul-Ulema, said if the Bishop had evidence of ‘narcotic jihad’, he should have given the information to the government instead of making a public statement targeting the Muslim community. Such remarks were unexpected from an influential leader who’s expected to foster harmony.
On the other hand, the BJP that seeks to raise its vote bank in the state came to the Bishop’s defense. The party’s state president, K Surendran, said there are attempts to ‘silence’ the Bishop for speaking the truth. The state unit has asked the center to provide security to the Bishop.
Kallarangatt’s remarks were widely seen by neutral people as vitiating the peace and trust between Christians and Muslims, who together make up 45 percent of Kerala’s population.
Interestingly CPI(M) Minister VN Vasavan is believed to have paid a visit to Pala Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt. This was exposed by a Sunni group-owned newspaper Suprabhatam, The newspaper said this points to the soft stand taken by the CPM on the hate-spewing Bishop.
Titled ‘Vettakkaranu hallelujah Padumupol’ (When hallelujah is sung for a hunter), the article by Mustafa Mundupara and published in Suprabhatham’s editorial page on September 18, criticized the bishop for making his speech 'without being backed by any facts or evidence. Without naming Vasavan, the article also hits out at the CPI(M) Minister.
"It's a stark injustice that different communities get different justice in the same land, which is new to a state like Kerala. Someone (the bishop) blurted out without thinking and the authorities don’t care about it. People including a minister visiting him in person, rather than visiting the victim (here the Muslim community) raising zindabad for the hunter. What more is there to shame," the article reads.
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