In a freewheeling interaction with TNIE’s S Kumaresan, KM Khader Mohideen, president of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), one of the older parties representing the Muslim community, speaks about the electoral prospects of the DMK-led alliance and the party. Excerpts:
Despite being part of the winning alliance in 2021, IUML failed to win any of the three seats it contested. What went wrong?
Elections today require a lot of money. In an alliance, many parties are involved, and each has to spend separately for meetings and campaigning. In the last election, our opponents were ruling both at the centre and the state. They spent heavily. We could not match that level of spending. Our party has never collected funds from the Muslim community for elections.
We only used small donations given by the community's well-wishers. Only that limited amount was shared between our three candidates. Now, we have instructed our district units to raise funds specifically for elections. We are making arrangements to provide candidates with funds within the limits set by the Election Commission.
We are confident that with better planning and people’s support, we will win.
Muslim parties often demand greater representation, but Muslim women rarely get tickets. Why is this so?
In our party, women already have representation. Two of our 12 national executive committee members are women. We encourage women to take part in politics at all levels. For the upcoming election, we were planning to field two women candidate if allotted four seats in the alliance. We have been saying this in district meetings for the past year.
Since we have been allotted only two seats now, we will carefully study the constituencies we get and see if they are electorally suitable for giving opportunity for women.
With NTK becoming a recognised party and Vijay’s TVK entering politics, do you think minority votes may get split?
The relationship between the Muslim community and the DMK is very strong. It has existed for generations. The DMK understands the real problems of Muslims and takes steps to address them. People are aware of this.
So, the support for DMK-led alliance will not weaken because of a few individuals supporting other parties. Minority communities know who their true friends are. Based on their experience, they will continue to support the DMK alliance. We have also benefited from being part of this alliance.
Muslim representation seems to be shrinking in legislatures. Do you think the BJP’s politics is influencing other parties to avoid fielding Muslim candidates?
A: This may be true in some states, but not here. Tamil Nadu is a place where people of different religions live together in harmony. Efforts to divide people on religious lines will not succeed here.
Political parties in Tamil Nadu will not think that giving tickets to Muslims will reduce their vote bank. Such fears do not exist here. Not just political parties, even the people live in unity. This has been our tradition, and it will continue.
There was a controversy over IUML MP K Navaskani visiting the Thiruparankundram hill. That incident and subsequent developments snowballed into a political issue. Your take on this?
A: It is true that our MP visited the hill for inspection. But the allegation that non-vegetarian food was consumed there is completely false. It was a planned rumour. In that area, Hindus and Muslims live in harmony. Even when some tried to turn this into a religious issue, local Hindu and Muslim residents opposed such attempts.
They did not want any disturbance in their locality. When some people spread false information, our party members wanted to protest. But I refused. We did not want to create unnecessary tension. On the issue of lighting a lamp on the hill, we clearly said we would accept whatever decision the court gives.
We did not oppose it. Linking IUML to this controversy is a deliberate attempt to create communal tension. We strongly reject it.
Some minorities believe BJP’s policies are against them. At the same time, some Muslims and Christian leaders have joined or supported the BJP. How do you see this?
In 1989, a conference of Muslim leaders was held in Mumbai. A resolution was passed that whatever verdict the Supreme Court gives in the Babri Masjid issue should be accepted. This was known as the Bombay Declaration.
At that time, some groups felt we were not strong enough in opposing right-wing forces. Because of such views, many new organisations emerged among Muslims.
Some people criticised us. But over time, many of those who criticised us have changed their stand. Today, some individuals may support the BJP, but that does not reflect the opinion of the entire Muslim community. In Tamil Nadu, when people want to know the stand of Muslims, they ask what the IUML’s position is.
They do not look at individual opinions. Our party continues to represent the larger interests of the Muslim community.
Some Hindu organisations say Muslim groups protest when Muslims are affected abroad, but remain silent when Hindus face issues in countries like Bangladesh. How do you respond?
It is wrong to compare these two different situations. War and local violence are different. In some cases, powerful countries attack weaker nations based on false claims. Innocent people suffer in such situations. No humane person can accept this. In the case of Bangladesh, it was a local incident caused by the emotional reactions of a group.
During that time, IUML supported the stand of the Indian government. We do not have a separate foreign policy. We have condemned violence wherever it happens. If Hindus or any other community are attacked anywhere in the world, we have raised our voice against it.
We believe that killing any human being is against humanity. As taught by the Prophet, we stand with those who are affected, not with those who cause harm.
Finally, how do you see the future of communal harmony in India?
Muslims live as minorities in many countries, but India is unique. Here, Muslims are present across all regions and are closely connected with other communities.
We believe that there will never be conflict between Hindus and Muslims because of IUML or the Muslim community.
We are committed to protecting unity. Our message has always been simple: India is our motherland, and Islam is our faith. We will continue to work for unity and peace in the country.