KOZHIKODE/KASARGOD:In the wake of 21 people reportedly leaving Kerala to join IS, protest is brewing among the Muslim community - particularly in Padna, Kasargod - against the Salafi (Mujahid) sect. The affected family members and a few locals hold the sect responsible for transforming the missing persons into hardliners and influencing them to leave for Syria. Though the Muslim scholars are hesitant to make an open statement, they admitted that the Salafi sect has been gaining ground among the youngsters in the Muslim community.
“My son was never a hardliner. It was after he started visiting the Salafi Masjid in our locality that we started observing visible changes in his religious practices. They started influencing him which ultimately resulted in his journey to join IS,” said Hakkim A, father of the 23-year-old T K Haffizuddin alias Shafizuddin who is among the group that went missing.
Hakkim said it was Abdullah Rasheed who introduced his son to the Salafi sect. The relatives and father of Ijaz Rahman and his brother Shihab also blamed the sect. “Initially, we never knew about his new connections. But it was after his association with people following the sect that we observed changes in his lifestyle. It was a drastic cultural shift,” said Abdur Rahman, father of Ijaz and Shihab.
Mujeeb, uncle of Izaj, Shayas, and Asfaq Majeed, who left with their family, said he noticed changes in Asfaq. “I thought he was just being lazy,” said Mujeeb. A spokesperson of Salafi Masjid at Orrumukku near Padna, where Shafizuddin used to visit for prayers, said each sect follows different principles. “We have our own customs and they are not hardline. If any believer approaches us seeking nod to pray, we can’t say no to them,” said the spokesperson. “Majority of the Sunnis in Kerala are actually Shias. Their practices are against Quran,” said another faithful at the Salafi Centre. Surprisingly, most of the missing persons were associated with the Peace International School run by the Salafi members. Four months ago, the school organised an Islamic fair on its campus.
“Though Salafi sect follow Wahhabi movement, we have not come across any hardline faction in the state. If there are such hardliners, then it should be checked,” said SKSSF state general secretary Sathar Pandaloor.