KOZHIKODE: IUML’s national general secretary, P K Kunhalikutty, has stated that the party will decide on their participation in the seminar on Uniform Civil Code (UCC) organised by the CPM only after receiving information about who else is invited to the programme.
Briefing reporters after the meeting of the Muslim Co-ordination Committee here on Tuesday, Kunhalikutty said it is not clear who all will be invited to the seminar.
“The issue should not be used to create division in the society. We should not fall prey to the trap and it is not good if someone organises a seminar to exploit the situation,” he said. It may be recalled that CPM state secretary M V Govindan has said that it will invite IUML and other Muslim organisations for a seminar to be held in Kozhikode on the UCC issue.
In addition, IUML state president Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal emphasised that the issue of the UCC should be confronted through legal and political means, rather than on the streets.
“The UCC is not solely an issue affecting Muslims, it needs to be addressed collectively. All political parties should join forces to oppose it. We must prevent communal polarisation on this matter,” Thangal said.
During the meeting, a core committee was established to organise seminars across the country aimed at raising awareness about the UCC.
The programme intends to invite all political parties and religious organisations to participate. Kunhalikutty expressed that there is no need to wait for the bill to be presented in Parliament before organising these seminars, as there are already indications from the Prime Minister’s speech on the issue.
He added, “Let us observe how various political parties position themselves when the issue is raised in Parliament. The IUML will remain highly vigilant within the House.” He reiterated that the IUML has consistently emphasised that the UCC is a national issue.
The meeting was attended by MP E T Muhammad Basheer, representatives of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, the Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar, Dakshina Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, KNM-Markazudawa, Jama’at-e-Islami, Muslim Education Society, Muslim Service Society, Wisdom Islamic Organisation, Tablig Jama’at, and Jama’at-e-Islami.