Samastha plans action against Rashid & Munvvar Ali Thangal

KOZHIKODE: Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulema has convened an urgent meeting on Monday to discuss the developments after the participation of two members of the Panakkad family in the Mujahid state conference. Available members of the Mushawara (supreme body) of the Samastha and the office-bearers of the affiliated organizations under the Sunni body will meet here to discuss the future course of action.

Emotion is running high among the Sunnis against Panakkad Rashid Ali Shihab Thangal and

Munvvar Ali Shihab Thangal

who attended two sessions at the Mujahid conference on Saturday despite Samastha leaders' strong objection.

The

Sunni Mahal Federation

had invited Rashid Ali Thangal for its regional conference at Omassery on Sunday. But the organizers asked Thangal not to attend the conference saying that there would be a strong protest if he attended the conference. Panakkad Syed Hyder Ali Shihab Thangal is the state president of the Sunni Mahal Federation and Rashid Ali Thangal the Malappuram district president.

In a related development, Samastha president Syed Muhammad Jiffri Muthukoya Thangal is believed to have told the organizers of a meeting scheduled to be held in Tirur on Monday that he would not attend the meeting if Rashid Ali Thangal participates in the programme.

A leader of the Samastha told TOI that the feeling of the rank and file of the organization was that action should be taken against Rashid Ali Shihab Thangal and Munvvar Ali Shihab Thangal who defied Samastha leadership. “We cannot proceed like this. There are enough forums for Muslim unity and various organizations do participate in the platforms on common issues faced by the community. Unity does not mean the leaders of one organization attending other's meeting,” he said.

There is a feeling among the Samastha leadership that the IUML is behind the recent developments. A prominent section in the IUML believes that some persons in the Samastha are crossing the limits and are dictating things to the party. Samastha had objected IUML leader E T Muhammad Basheer's pro-Salafi statement in the propaganda video of the Mujahid conference. The Samastha had also expressed displeasure with the stance of MSF leader T P Ashraf Ali and Muslim Youth League general secretary P K Firoz on various issues. The IUML believes that these outbursts amount to Samastha's interference in the internal affairs of the party, which is a common platform of the Muslims in Kerala.

The IUML sees the present developments as a chance to end Samastha's meddling in the party's affairs.