KOZHIKODE: Emphasising that Islam cannot agree with the attempts to convert the hatred towards fascism to hatred towards the nation, the Sunni Students Federation (SSF), the feeder organisation of the Kanthapuram faction of the Sunnis said that India has been secular from time immemorial and that the country should not be degraded while criticising the policies of the government.
A resolution passed at the Golden Fifty programme here on Sunday, said that governments should be corrected without creating hatred towards the nation. “It is important to separate the nation from the government. The nation need not be degraded while opposing the policies of the government,” the resolution moved by Dr Aboobacker said.
“We should stand for the values of the nation even while strongly opposing the government. The politics of hatred of the Sangh Parivar should be countered not by developing further hatred,” the resolution said. It added that it is a misreading to interpret a pro-nation attitude as a pro-government stand. “Our country has been secular from time immemorial. We should not allow damaging tradition. Civil society along with successive governments should be vigilant against this,” the resolution said.
The conference also asked the government to withdraw from the move to allow foreign universities to start their units in Kerala. A resolution adopted by the conference said the move has to be viewed as the government’s withdrawal from the public education sector.
The resolution said the state is framing the draft education policy similar to the centre in the case of national education policy. Allowing foreign universities to set up franchises in the state would result in lowering the standard of education in the state.
Earlier on Sunday, Ponmala Abdul Qadir Musaliyar, leader of the Kanthapuram faction of the Sunnis, had said at the same programme that religious freedom enjoyed by Muslims in India cannot be experienced in any Muslim country, including Saudi Arabia.
The meeting also elected the new office-bearers for the organisation. Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama president E Suleiman Musaliyar announced that T K Firdouse Suraiji and C R Kunhimuhammad will be the new president and general secretary respectively. Syed Ahmed Muneer Ahdal Ahsani is the new finance secretary.