Malappuram: Thavanur MLA KT Jaleel found unexpected support from controversial BJP leader PC George even as he faced severe criticism for his comment that most of the people who are arrested in drug cases in Kerala are those who have received religious teachings from madrassas.

Jaleel, who initially made the remarks at an Iftar gathering, stuck to his comments and claimed that his speech aimed to rectify the community's shortcomings. Many community organisations, including the clerics' forum Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, criticised the MLA for his comment.

PC George, out on bail in a hate speech case, said he has been speaking openly about the 'issue for some time now'. “Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt had mentioned the same issue earlier, and I have been speaking about this for some time now. I challenge (opposition leader) VD Satheesan, SDPI, IUML, and others to file a complaint against Jaleel, just as they did against me and the bishop,” George wrote on Facebook.

The CPM-backed independent MLA found another backer in CPM Muvattupuzha area committee member M J Francis, who commented that 'some Muslims believed that fasting during Ramadan absolved them of their crimes.' 

In the now-deleted comment to Jaleel's Facebook post, Francis said, 'Religious leaders taught that praying five times a day and fasting (during Ramadan) were sufficient to erase wrongdoing.' After facing severe backlash, Francis issued an apology and deleted the post.

In a post on Sunday, Jaleel insisted that he was referring to the shortcomings within families and communities. He said his speech was intended to highlight internal issues within the Muslim community rather than unfairly target anyone.

"An analysis of 200 drug-related cases in Malabar over the past six months revealed that 61 per cent of those arrested had Muslim names, with 99 per cent of them having received some form of religious education," Jaleel wrote.

Jaleel said he made the statement with good intentions at a gathering of community leaders. "How is pointing out internal issues be considered a serious offence? Recognising and addressing these problems will ultimately benefit society," he wrote.

He also dismissed concerns that political opponents could misuse his remarks, asserting that the truth should not be suppressed for fear of misinterpretation.