In Kerala, a war of words over political Islam Premium

The IUML’s role in maintaining harmony in Kerala is crucial

Last week, senior CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan triggered a debate when he alleged that young people were being lured into terror outfits such as the Islamic State due to the influence of political Islam in Kerala.

Talking to the media ahead of the release of his Malayalam book, Kerala: Muslim Politics and Political Islam, in Kozhikode, Mr. Jayarajan claimed that there was an alliance between the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH). He warned that political Islam is dangerous, as was seen in the rise of extremist groups such as the JIH and the Popular Front of India (PFI), which was banned by the Indian government in 2022.

His comments drew sharp criticism from the IUML and Congress. The IUML national general secretary, P.K. Kunhalikutty, insisted that his party has always been vigilant in addressing radical tendencies. The IUML State president, Syed Sadiqali Shihab Thangal, accused Mr. Jayarajan of “exploiting the Islamic State recruitment issue for political mileage at a time when the Islamic State is being dismantled globally.” At the same time, Congress leader K. Muraleedharan alleged that Mr. Jayarajan’s book was a strategy by the CPI(M) to reclaim Hindu votes, which have been drifting towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also claimed that the CPI(M) and BJP had a covert agreement. To buttress his argument, he cited the statement of the Speaker, A.N. Shamseer, who described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as an important organisation in India.

Mr. Jayarajan’s views have also provided ammunition to Sangh Parivar outfits, which have been alleging that Kerala has emerged as a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists under the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. These outfits have used conspiracy theories such as ‘love jihad’ and ‘narcotics jihad’ to drive anti-Muslim propaganda.

Mr. Jayarajan’s comments drew responses from the outfits he mentioned too. The Welfare Party of India (WPI), the political wing of the JIH, accused the CPI(M) of aligning with the Sangh Parivar and demanded Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s response to the allegations. The WPI and the Social Democratic Party of India, the political face of the PFI, had supported the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Parts of the Christian community waded in too. Deepika, a Malayalam newspaper managed by the clergy and popular among the Syrian Catholics, published an editorial asking whether the CPI(M) endorsed Mr. Jayarajan’s views. It stated that both the Congress and CPI(M) have been pandering to political Islam and argued that Mr. Jayarajan’s book is relevant.

It is a fact that a few young people from Kerala joined the Islamic State and travelled to Syria and Afghanistan, although the numbers are not known. In 2009, four people joined terrorist groups in Kupwara in Kashmir and were killed in an encounter with the Indian Army.