KOCHI: A day after a group of students protested at Nirmala College in Muvattupuzha demanding a space to offer Friday prayers (jumah), the Syro-Malabar Church and Catholic Congress on Sunday came out strongly against what they termed was a “systematic religious and communal invasion” against Christian minority institutions in Kerala.
In a communique, the Syro-Malabar Church’s Public Affairs Commission said efforts to destabilise Christian minority institutions will be strongly resisted.
“The incidents at Muvattupuzha Nirmala College, an autonomous institution that maintains excellent academic standards..., have disrupted the academic environment. A group of students besieged the college principal and chanted slogans demanding a room be given to students belonging to a particular religious group to pray on the college campus,” said Bishop Thomas, convener of the commission.
“It is a matter of concern that units of the two main student organisations in Kerala took the lead in contaminating the college atmosphere by raising such a demand, which has no legal or moral validity. The conspiracy and motives behind such activities should be investigated,” he said.
The commission requested the government to provide necessary protection to the college and its authorities, including the principal, to prevent further untoward situations.
In its statement, the Catholic Congress said the move by a group of students and student organisations of mainstream political parties has disturbed peaceful atmosphere of the campus. The statement said it was important to nip the move to create division on campus right in the bud.
“No room or space will be set aside for offering namaz in educational institutions owned and run by the Church. However, the students will be allowed to go to nearby mosques for namaz. Demand has risen from certain corners that a space needs to be set up in educational institutions near mosques that don’t have facilities for women to say namaz. However, it should be understood that just because there is no facility in the mosques, it is wrong to be adamant about creating such a space in the institutions run by the Church,” said the Catholic Congress.
The organisation urged Muslim religious leaders to create a space for women to offer prayers within the mosques instead of being adamant and demanding Church-run institutions to create one.
“It should be noted that as per the Constitution of the Church-run educational institutions, campuses are also places where Christian beliefs and culture are to be safeguarded and upheld. We won’t let anything disturb it,” the statement from the Catholic Congress said.
Surendran tells govt to explain the stand
Thrissur: BJP state president K Surendran on Sunday asked the state government to explain its stand on the controversy over arranging a prayer hall for Muslim students at Nirmala College in Muvattupuzha. Students’ organisations had staged a protest in the college urging the management to arrange a prayer hall on the campus.
The management vetoed it saying there was a mosque just 300m away and those who wanted to pray had permission to go there. Some groups with vested interests are trying to create chaos in educational institutions that are under Hindu and Christian management, and both the Left and the Congress are supporting the groups.
“Though everyone talks about secularism in education in the state, it seems the same people are trying to impose certain religious,” Surendran said, while also asking whether schools run by Muslim managements in the state had provisions for prayers of other religions.