Kerala Muslim leader says leaders promoting interfaith marriages involving Muslim girls

Koodathai said that for certain people, secularism means a Hindu marrying a Muslim. “Recently we have seen unscrupulous political strategies to promote interfaith marriages. The Constitution permits that a Muslims should marry a Muslim and Hindu should marry Hindu. But certain people have a crooked view that Bhartiya culture can be promoted only when a Hindu marries a Muslim. Muslim girls are being abducted with the backing of the party's offices, newspaper offices, leaders of the CPM, DYFI and the SFI, and they are being married off to non-Muslims. Mahallu (masjid) committees should stand united against such rejection of religion,'' he said.

This is the first time a leader associated with the influential body of Sunni Muslim clerics has publicly spoken against interfaith marriage in a state where Hindu and Christian outfits have accused Muslims of engaging in “love jihad''.

The Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, or Samastha, is close to the Indian Union Muslim League, an ally of the Congress in Kerala. However, the CPM has recently been wooing Muslims through the organisation and its leaders have shared stages with the clerics on many issues.

The government was accused of withdrawing plans to introduce gender-neutral uniforms in schools following protests, mainly from Samastha, which was of the view that such uniforms would encourage homosexuality.