Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has exhorted the Muslim community to be vigilant against communal forces who instigate the faithful to take up violence in the name of religion. Inaugurating a two-day Kerala Umara Conference organised by the Kerala Muslim Jamaath here on Saturday, he said communal elements employed religious texts as tools to propagate hatred.
“Our youth should not fall prey to the insidious propaganda of communal forces. The Kerala Police has proved that the violence unleashed by some groups recently following the Kathua rape had been done deliberately to foment trouble,” he said.
Chaos would have erupted in the State had not the police acted on time. Kerala could take pride in upholding the values of secularism and pluralism. The country saw a group communalising the abduction, rape, and murder of an eight-year-old girl of Jammu with lawyers and elected representatives even supporting the accused in the heinous crime.
Praise for government
The reaction of the Chief Minister was in response to All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, who, in his presidential address, showered praise on the government for arresting those involved in the rape and murder of a Latvian tourist in Thiruvananthapuram last month.
His presence at the conference of leaders of local mahal committees and Muslim leaders of different organisations and NRIs units also assumed significance in the wake of the Sunni unity talks and the Musliyar going hammer and tongs against the Salafis and the growth of radical groups.
Mr. Vijayan pointed out that all religious texts spoke about the love for humanity. The Koran advocated compassion and brotherhood. But some people intentionally misused religious texts to spread hatred and violence.
The Chief Minister said those in power were using religion for political gains and sabotaging the lofty ideals of Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar. Now even food, dress, customs, and language had become political tools, Mr. Vijayan added.
