Malappuram: Efforts to strike a truce between a faction of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) appear to have come unstuck with Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF) vice-president Sathar Panthallur threatening to chop the hands off anyone who insults the Samastha elders.
The comments, made at a function in Malappuram on Thursday, come days after Muslim League state general secretary P M A Salam's alleged disparaging remarks against Samastha President Jifri Muthukoya Thangal.
"SKSSF activists will chop the hands off anyone who tries to tarnish, insult or attack Samastha leaders... Everyone should take it as a warning from (the members of the )n organisation that is willing to sacrifice their lives for SKSSF. We would not compromise with anyone except the Samastha Mushavara (highest decision-making body of Sunny clerics)," Panthallur said.
He also criticised the influence of Wahhabism in the Muslim community. “Wahhabism has given ideological credence to terrorist organisations like ISIS. Muslims in Kerala would have been forced to carry such a burden if Samastha had compromised and joined hands with such groups in the community,” he added.
Samastha is a federation of Sunni clerics. But it is said to be a divided house with one faction considered to be close to IUML and the other siding with the CPM. Panthallur is one of the leaders who denounce the influence of IUML within the organisation.
Though there were efforts to patch up between the Muslim League and Samastha faction, things took an ugly turn after Salam said that some community leaders believed that a call from the CPM was highly valuable.
Twenty-one Samastha leaders had complained against Salam to IUML State President Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal. Panthallur was one of the leaders who signed the complaint.
Sources said that Panthallur was irked after he was omitted as one of the speakers at the recently held function at Jamia Nooriya, Panakkad.
Till now, no one has either supported or opposed Panthallur's comment. However, the unofficial social media groups aligned with Samastha have started posting comments supporting and opposing the Samastha leader.