KOZHIKODE: Eating a piece of cake or having Onasadya will not adversely affect one’s faith, said IUML state secretariat member MK Muneer on Sunday.
Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Muslim in Plural Society’ organised by the Wafy Alumni Association in Kozhikode, the Koduvally MLA said Muslims should understand the sentiments of people of other faiths when they (Muslims) publicly declare that they will not participate in the celebrations of other religions. The seminar was organised against the backdrop of the social media attacks on IUML state president Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal over his participation in a Christmas celebration. Though the speakers at the seminar did not mention the incident specifically, they felt such developments were the outcome of a wrong interpretation of the scriptures.
“Muslims are portrayed as intolerant people when scriptures are taken out of context and interpreted,” Muneer said, adding the challenge is to live in a plural society even while protecting the identity.
He said Muslims never decide that they will not attend the marriage functions of other religions though they are conducted as per different religious rites. “We have a problem. We celebrate others attending our events, but will never allow it if it is the other way round,” he said.
Muneer said many see faith as a very weak
and feeble thing. Many are scared, unrealistically thinking that an act may debunk their beliefs, he said. “A person who entertains such a weak faith cannot be called a believer. Belief is a strong bonding with Allah, which will not vanish with eating of a piece of cake or eating sadya,” he said.
“We declare in public that we should not participate in the celebrations of other religion. Have we ever thought about the emotions it creates in their (people of other religions) mind?” he asked.
Abdul Hakeem Faizy Adrussery, former general secretary of the Confederation of Islamic Colleges, said Islam always practised multiculturalism in its history, not only when Muslims were a minority. Jews and Christians were appointed as advisors and ministers during the time of Islamic rulers, he said.
MediaOne managing editor C Dawood, Muslim Youth League leader Shibu Meeran, Abdul Wahab Wafy, Swalih Wafy and others also spoke.