CSI Bishop, Imam call for peace

‘Isolate anti-social elements and jointly fight against social evils’

Amidst the raging debate set off by Bishop of Pala (Syro-Malabar Church) Mar Joseph Kallarangattu with his sermon on ‘jihad by way of love and narcotics’, the Central Kerala diocese of the Church of South India (CSI) and Kerala Muslim Youth Federation (KMYF) on Wednesday made a unanimous call for peace.

Addressing mediapersons in Kottayam, CSI Bishop Malayil Sabu Koshi Cheriyan and KMYF State president and Imam of Juma Masjid, Thazhathangadi, Shamsuddeen Mannani Ilavupalam called upon the people to single out anti-social elements irrespective of their religion and jointly fight against social evils. They, meanwhile, stayed away from any direct reference to ‘narcotic jihad’, holding that it was up to the government to inquire such issues.

At the same time, they demanded that the people, while responding to social evils, should not hurt the sentiments of society. “It is critical that all social evils be opposed and that public opinion be formed against them. But the attribution of communal angle to social obsolescence is not at all good for society. It is illogical to blame a religion for the wrongdoings of a few individuals in that religion. There is no justification for attributing anti-social behaviour to a religion because the name of the person engaged in anti-social activities is associated with that particular religion or they justify their wrongdoing in the name of religion,” they said.