The recent arrest of Subahani Haja Moideen from Kadayanallur for suspected links with the Islamic State (IS) has raised concerns in the Muslim community about radicalisation of some Muslim youth.
Speaking about how such actions of a few could be used by Hindu right-wing forces to tarnish the image of an entire community, Kader Mohideen, state president, Indian Union Muslim League, said the party has opposed violent ideology wherever necessary. “The IUML has always campaigned against extremism and terrorism, weaning the Muslim youth away from such thinking. Still, some Muslim youth are swayed by their propaganda. The youth must not fall prey to it,” he said.
The problem arose mostly due to the fact that many South Indian Muslim youth got most of their religious education in the Middle East. “In South India, most of us follow Islam which is closer to Sufism. The problem today is that the Muslim youth start learning radical ideologies in an extremely religious environment,” he said.
Documentary filmmaker Kombai S. Anwar, who made the film 'Yaadhum' tracing the roots of Tamil Muslims, says "Wahabism or Salafism dismisses or rather condemns literature, cinema and other art forms as haram. Such a stance has further alienated the youth (who follow these ideologies) from the mainstream. It is high time this is addressed. I do see a positive rethink happening within the community. And I do hope these youth finally get a clean chit."
Condemning the IS as ‘unislamic’, Prof M.H. Jawahirullah, president, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, said he was sure a majority of Tamil Muslim youth were not lured by the its propaganda. ”There is no political leader or a religious scholar in Tamil Nadu, who has supported the IS,” he said.
