KOZHIKODE: Jama’at-e-Islami leader T Muhammad Velam and free thinker C Ravichandran will lock horns at a debate on ‘Is human a moral being’ as part of the Touchstone debate series organised by the Essense Global in Kozhikode on March 11.
Velam is the state shura (consultative body) member of the Jama’at-e-Islami and former president of the Solidarity Youth Movement. He is the editor of Janapaksham magazine and the state committee member of the Welfare Party of India. Velam told TNIE that the suggestion for the debate came from the side of the Essense. “It is improper for me to comment on the debate as I am one of the debaters,” he said.
Sheikh Muhammad Karakkunnu, Jama’at secretary, said that his organisation has a history of engaging atheists and communists in the past. “Many such debates were held at places including Kozhikode, Koyilandi and Tirur. The topics of debates were mainly the existence of God, Sharia and marriage and divorce in Islam,” he said.
“Me and O Abdurahman used to represent the Jama’at and U Kalanathan and Abdul Ali Kappad spoke from the atheists’ side. The debates were held in a cordial atmosphere and the difference of opinion never affected our personal relationship,” he said.
Ravichandran said that his debates are not the continuation of the ones performed by atheists or rationalists in Kerala. “We don’t have the support of any group or organisation,” he said. Asked about the relevance and effects of such debates, he said it is unrealistic to expect immediate changes. “Cerebral changes occur very slowly and we don’t expect dramatic results from the debates,” Ravichandran said.
Debates with Islam, however, have produced some visible results. Many people have walked out of Islam and are expressing their opinion openly. The gesture from Advocate C Shukkur, who raised voice against inequality by women inside the religion, could be considered as a cumulative effect of the debates, Ravichandran said.