Iftar betrays rift in community

Malappuram: The annual camaraderie Iftar meet convened by Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Hyderali Shihab Thangal has once again exposed the rift among Muslim groups. While all groups including Jamaat-e-Islami, once shunned by the Muslim League for its terrorist ideology, had been invited to the meet held on Saturday in Kozhikode, the party apparently closed all its doors on the Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram A.P Abubacker Musliyar.

Besides the Kanthapuram faction, known as "sickle Sunni for its allegiance to the CPM, Indian National League (INL) and Popular Front of India (PFI), the parent body of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) were also kept out. The Thangal had asked all the Muslim groups to seek the means of unity to face the challenges of the community during his brief speech.

While INL and PFI were alway kept out, the Kanthapuram faction had been an invitee during previous years. “The meet was a deliberate attempt to bring all the Muslim organisations together to unite for the common cause of the community, in particular for the protection of the minority. This time, we didn’t invite Kanthapuram faction due to their hostility towards us,” said E.T. Muhammed Basheer M.P, IUML national secretary.

“Kanthapuram’s only agenda is to defeat Muslim League at any cost. We don’t want to bring such a group close to this unity.” Notably the Welfare Party of the Jamaat-e-Islami had also fought against the League in the elections. But, there was no hostility while inviting them.