KOZHIKODE: Exclusion of IUML state president Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal from the Waqf-Constitution Protection Meeting to be held in Ernakulam on May 4 under the aegis of the four Sunni organisations in Kerala has become a major controversy, with the pro-IUML group alleging a conspiracy to sideline the leader.
As per a poster released on social media, Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya Thangal, Kanthapuram Sunni group leader Syed Ebrahim al Bukhari Thangal, Dakshina Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama general secretary Thodiyur Muhammad Kunji Moulavi and Kerala Samsthana Jem-Iyyathul Ulama general secretary Najeeb Moulavi Mambad are expected to take part in the conference. The conference is hailed as a giant leap in Sunni unity in the state because it is very rare for the Sunni organisations to come together on one platform.
However, the IUML cadres and sympathisers are not happy with the turn of events as they see the conference as a move to sideline the political party. “We asked the organisers as to why Sadiq Ali Thangal was not invited and they said it is not a political programme. They said that if Thangal, who is the leader of the IUML, is invited then the leaders of other parties should also be invited,” said a Sunni leader.
“For us, the Panakkad family member is not just a political leader. He is the spiritual head of the community. There is no point in organising a programme like the conference in Ernakulam without him,” he said. Curiously, Panakkad Syed Mueen Ali Shihab Thangal, who is believed to be close with Samastha, has shared the poster of the conference on his Facebook wall.
What irks the IUML most is Samastha’s increased closeness with the Kanthapuram group. The IUML believes that the talks on ‘Sunni unity’ are a mere ploy to checkmate the IUML. The party’s social media handles are busy revisiting the Samastha leaders’ writings and speeches against Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar. The rival group is retorting with the photographs of the members of the Panakkad family visiting Kanthapuram and his institutions.
It may be recalled that the Samastha suffered a split in 1989 following Kanthapuram’s move to hold a meeting in Ernakulam. He held a meeting of the Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS) which culminated in the split in Samastha. IUML argues that what is happening now is an attempt to repeat 1989.
‘PUT OUT LIGHT’ PROTEST AGAINST WAQF LEGISLATION
Leaders of the Muslim community have asked everyone to participate in the ‘Put Out Light’ protest against the Waqf Act called by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board from 9 pm to 9.15 pm on April 30. Those who signed the statement include Panakkad Rasheed Ali Shihab Thangal, K Alikutty Musaliyar, Hussein Madavoor, P Mujaeeb Rehman, Thodiyur Muhammad Kunji Moulavi, P N Abdul Latheef Madani, C P Umar Sullami and A K Abdul Majeed
PLEA IN HC SEEKING TO VACATE INTERIM ORDER RESTRAINING WAQF TRIBUNAL
KOCHI: A resident of Munambam approached the Kerala High Court seeking to vacate the interim order issued by a Division Bench on April 11, restraining the Waqf Tribunal, Kozhikode, from passing final orders in the proceedings in connection with the Munambam land dispute cases till May 26, 2025. The petitioner Joseph Benny submitted that the interim order will only help widen the communal rift, which is not in the interest of the harmonious existence of the people of Munambam. The court directed the Kerala State Waqf Board to file a counter-affidavit and decided to hear the matter on May 9. The petitioner also sought to be impleaded in the petition filed by State Waqf Board challenging the tribunal’s order rejecting its plea to call for records from the Subordinate Judges Court, Paravur, Ernakulam, regarding the cases.