The Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama has warned politicians of “serious electoral consequences” if they meddle in religious issues such as entry of women into Sunni mosques.
Opening a Shariat conference here on Saturday, its president Syed Mohammed Jiffri Muthukoya Thangal said politicians need not air their views on religious matters. “The recent statements on women’s entry to Sunni mosques by politicians were not in good taste. They have pained and irritated us. We know who should be admitted to the mosques and who should not. Their demand cannot be implemented,” he said.
Mr. Thangal said the bar on entry of women to mosques was not the sign of any discrimination but a “wise decision” taken by religious scholars considering their safety. The conference was organised by Samastha, the biggest body of Sunni Muslims in the State, in the wake of the recent Sabarimala verdict, the triple talaaq ordinance and a bunch of judicial interventions related to the religious practice of the Muslims.
Mr. Thangal came down heavily on the court orders that legalised consensual adult gay sex and decriminalised adultery, saying they would lead to a blanket permission to prostitution and criminal activities. “The Supreme Court finding that triple talaaq is ‘unIslamic’ does not have any documentary support. The provisions in the Union government’s triple talaaq ordinance could be misused too,” he said.
He said the Supreme Court verdict on the necessity of mosques for Muslim prayers would adversely influence future litigation on places of religious worship.
“There is a trend to victimise Muslims for each and every issue and a propaganda against us is on. We are law-abiding citizens and we respect the Constitution. But don’t treat our silence as a weakness, we will respond if there is a need. We will legally challenge any bid to question our religious beliefs,” Mr. Thangal added.
K. Alikkutty Musliyar, general secretary; Panakkad Syed Sadiqali Shihab Thangal, State vice president, Sunni Yuvajana Sangham; and P.K. Kunhalikutty, MP; were present.
Meanwhile, a coordination committee of Muslim organisations has sought the intervention of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies against recent court orders.
