Left MLA and former minister K T Jaleel remarked that majority of those arrested for gold smuggling around the Karipur Airport belong to the Muslim community.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Jaleel asked what reforms “Malappuram lovers” expect to implement in the Muslim community if they fail to address this issue.
He said a significant percentage of Muslims involved in gold smuggling believe it is not un-Islamic. If qazis (Islamic scholars) advocate awareness to prevent Muslims from involving themselves in gold smuggling, it should not be considered Islamophobia.
The qazis, he said, should be ready to declare gold smuggling un-Islamic.
Emphasising that the opposition to wrongdoing should come from within each community, Jaleel noted that Christians should confront issues within their community, Muslims should address faults among themselves, and Hindus should rectify improprieties in their ranks.
In the absence of such internal accountability, he argued, no external intervention would be viewed as malicious.
What kind of reforms or progress the ‘Malappuram lovers’ intend to implement in the Muslim community without addressing this issue, he asked “those who destroy Malappuram love and community love for smuggling and hawala”.
Jaleel’s remark has drawn criticism from various quarters. National Organising Secretary of the Muslim League ET Muhammed Basheer alleged that Jaleel’s statement is part of a conspiracy to trap Muslims in CPI-M’s politicking. Congress leader V T Balram called his statement ‘pure nonsense’.
Congress leader AP Anil Kumar said the Malappuram district and its people have been used by Jaleel as a weapon to express his devotion to Pinarayi Vijayan.
SYS leader Nasser Faizi called Jaleel’s statement malicious. Faizi said he is unnecessarily dragging religious scholars into the gold smuggling issue.
Nasser Faizi alleged that Jaleel is a tool in the hands of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.