The Muslim community of Malabar responded soberly to the Supreme Court judgment on the Ayodhya Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute on Saturday, echoing the spirit of religious camaraderie and displaying great emotional maturity that the situation demanded.
Leaders such as Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, State president of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), had prepared the community to respond with care and caution well ahead of the verdict.
Mr. Thangal had told the community to accept the judgment irrespective of it being in favour or not.
He reiterated his call for restraint and communal harmony even when welcoming the judgment on Saturday. “We honour the court verdict, no matter it is in favour of Muslims or not. And I would like to say all of us have the responsibility to ensure religious harmony in our society,” Mr. Thangal said.
Influence
Mr. Thangal’s mellowed response assumes great significance especially as he wields wide influence on the Muslim community in the State.
His elder brother and predecessor in the party, the late Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal, had worked in restraining the community and maintaining peace in Kerala when the country erupted in communal flare in the wake of the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.
The Madin Academy here postponed its mega Milad Sharif rally to November 16. The grand rally involving various people was to be held in Malappuram town in celebration of Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.
Syed Ibrahim Khaleel Bukhari, chairman of the Madin Academy and general secretary of the Kerala Muslim Jamaat, said it was high time that the community thought about its next generation. “Let’s not leave angst and unending disputes to our children,” he said, exhorting madrasas and mahals across the country to include the message of national integration in the Milad celebrations.
India’s Grand Mufti Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar, who is also president of the Kerala Muslim Jamaat and general secretary of the All India Jamiyyathul Ulama, called upon the community respect the verdict. “This is not the time to show jubilation or despair,” he said.
‘Need to be role model’
Mujahid leader Husain Madavur, chief Imam, Palayam Juma Masjid, said that Muslims should be a role model for others in maintaining peace and harmony. “This is the time that we uphold our country’s credentials of secularism and pluralism,” he said.
