Oommen Chandy [1943-2023]

 

Former Chief Minister of Kerala, Mr. Oommen Chandy, passed away on Tuesday, 18 July 2023. He was 79, and was ailing for some time. Born on 31 October 1943, Mr. Chandy was the 10^th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.

 

He represented Puthuppally constituency as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the State Assembly from 1970 until his death in 2023, making him the longest-serving MLA of any state legislature in India. He received an award for public service from the United Nations in 2013. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee, the apex decision-making body of the Indian National Congress, at the time of his death.

As a political leader of Kerala, he served the people with much humility and sincerity of purpose all through his days in government as well as outside of it; Mr. Chandy leaves behind a rich legacy of public service;  an outpouring of love and grateful remembrance by common people across the State when his body was taken on its final journey to the burial place is emblematic of the numerous lives he touched throughout his life as a people’s leader. 

We in the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- Kerala remember with fondness Mr. Oommen Chandy’s respectful and warm interaction with our beloved Imam Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius, during the latter’s India visit in December 2018. 

Civility in Religious Debates

Be it writing on social media, or appearing on television channels on public debates; the persons exercising their free speech rights have a duty to observe civility and courtesy, and not to fan hatred between different classes of people, nor spread bigotry among religious communities, especially so when they are leading politicians and spokespersons of a party ruling a country. When political elites fail to observe restraint and cross the red-lines in public discourse on people’s beliefs, or faith-related controversies; it invariably generates public resistance and political backlash, muddying the social relations- nationally and internationally.

Recently, two leaders of the ruling BJP in India, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, indulged in wanton anti-Muslim tirade, in public television and on social media. In their visceral hatred of the Muslim community in the country, these ruling politicians went to the extreme extend of attacking and vilifying the religion of Islam, and insulting the sacred memory of the Holy Prophet (sa) and his family. Making hurtful comments about the Holy Prophet’s life with his young wife Hazrat Ayesha (ra), these thugs from the majority community in the land sought to humiliate the minority community by insulting their religious beliefs. With the Muslims in India holding angry public demonstrations against the culprits, and many Muslim majority-nations in unison calling out the Islamophobia on full display in India, the episode involving the gross misconduct of its spokespersons embarrassed not only the governing party but also caused deep humiliation for the country’s image and standing internationally. [Inset: People hold posters during a protest demanding the arrest of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and expelled BJP leader Naveen Jindal. Credit: Reuters photo/ Deccan Herald/ PTI, June 10, 2022]. 

Identity Conflicts

As a religion of God, Islam is an uncompromisingly monotheistic creed, and its spiritual realm has no space for any form of idolatry, or the worship of lords beside the Lord Almighty. As its mark of identity, Islam prescribes fraternal affection and bonds of solidarity among all believers, regardless of their racial or linguistic background, social or national origin. Indeed, Islam recognizes the universality of the religious experience and testifies to the Divine origin of religions among all the peoples. As God is Lord of all the Worlds (of mankind, angels, animals, plants, this world and the world to come, etc.), Islam also fosters utmost sympathy and compassion for all of His creatures (not just for fellow-Muslims); upholding the dignity and rights of all communities of people living in society. Islam envisages a social order that will peacefully facilitate the triumph of good over evil; the  prevalence of truth over falsehood in the ideational battle and struggle for supremacy between God's Religion, and all other ideologies.

Yet Today, ours is an age of rising intolerance and identity-based conflicts among communities. Societies are splintered on religious and sectarian lines. Many conflicts have their roots in religion-based adverse discriminations. The persecution of minority communities such as the Rohingyas in Myanmar and the Uighurs in China by the nationally-dominant  non-Muslim groups uprooted millions of Muslim peoples from their own homes and hearth in recent years. Likewise, the deep schism in Islamic lands, among the Sunnis and the Shias, and also other marginal  sects such as the Ahmadis, have also witnessed much sectarian bloodshed and killings. Likewise, the radicalization of the Muslim youth through extremist and militant interpretations of religious doctrines for political mobilization by a section of the Mullahs' and their terrorists' groups is also a threat to social peace and harmony, and also to the fair name of a pure religion.

In his Friday Sermon of 17 September 2021~09 Safar 1443 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (atba) of Mauritius speaks about Islamic teachings that promote religious tolerance, inter-community harmony, and social peace in our divided world. Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) notes that whether majority or minority in  a land, the Muslims ought to emphatically reject all excesses in the name of our identity. As Hazrat Saheb (aba) points out, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated: “He who supports his clan in aggression and he who calls on others to support tyranny is not one of us.”  Indeed, it is vital to reclaim the true and original spiritual moorings of Islam, so that  a just social order  is available for everyone to pursue their religious beliefs and spiritual convictions without any hindrance.  

Read the Friday Sermon Below:  

Hindu-Muslim Amity in India

We took a pledge from you, ‘Do not shed one another’s blood or drive one another from your homelands’. You acknowledged it at the time, and you can  testify to this. Yet here you are, killing one another and driving some of your own  people from their homes, helping one another in sin and aggression against them..’ (2: 92)

‘Lord, we fear he will do us great harm or exceed all bounds’ (20:45)

‘We have put our trust in God. Lord! Do not make us an object of persecution for the oppressors’ (10: 85)

‘Lord, we have put our trust in You; we turn to You; You are our final destination. Lord, do not expose us to mistreatment at the hands of the disbelievers. Forgive us, Lord, for You are the Almighty, the All Wise’.  (60:6) 

‘Truly those who persecute believing men and believing women, then do not repent, theirs shall be punishment of Hell, and theirs shall be the punishment of burning’. (85:11) 

An Unjust World

Today, millions of people suffer injustice, persecution and slaughter at the hands of unjust regimes around the world. In several nations- whether they are Muslim-majority or non-Muslim majority, minority communities are facing legal discrimination and political oppression. Consider the recent events impacting certain peoples, the harrowing accounts of systematic oppression are mind-numbing, and make for depressing reading: genocide of the Bosnian Muslims in Europe in the 1990’s; the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Muslims in Central African Republic; the high-handedness of the  Myanmar/Burma regime vis-a-vis the Rohingya Muslims; the inhuman treatment being meted out to the Uighur Muslims in China;  the throttling of civic, political and economic freedoms of Muslim- majority provinces in Russia (the situation of Chechnya/ Dagestan, Crimean Tartars, etc); the volatile situation in Kashmir; the fifth-generation/ long-suffering Palestinian refugees;  the situation of millions of refugees from, and internally displaced persons in, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Libya, Yemen,  etc.  

The mindset of the self-exalting Pharaohs, hell-bent on persecuting the hapless children of Israel in ancient times, seems to be alive, as if it were, and bedevil, almost every nation and generation of people. The denial of human rights and community interests and political oppression is often serviced in the name of superior race; majority religion; superior caste; pure ethnicity; national culture; secular law, popular will, etc. Not just under despotic regimes, but also under so-called democracies, minority communities and their interests are trampled upon. The national ‘self’ is imagined in such a narrow way that the minorities are treated as the ‘other’ and the law is unleashed to deny and deprive the basic rights of such persons: citizenship, civic and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, etc. Hence, in the name of socially-codified communal prejudices in such democracies, the human dignity, basic identity, fundamental rights and other collective interests of the minority is unrecognized, and often, criminalized. 

The Darkness in Delhi

As I write this, my city, Delhi, is limping back to ‘normalcy’ after the dastardly, orchestrated, anti-Muslim violence of last week that claimed over 50 innocent lives, and critically- injured hundreds of others, ordinary people going about their everyday lives. Shops and establishments, vehicles and other properties, houses and the mosques of the Muslim community were particularly targetted by the criminal thugs on steroid. The communal fire and riots were ignited and perpetrated with a clear and malicious intent to destroy the peaceful and dignified co-existence of the Hindus and the Muslims of the city for several decades. By attacking the very livelihood of the minority community, the marauders and their political dons hope to break the harmony in society. With every communal violence, the 'distance' between communities increase, leading to 'apartheid-cities' segregating the people from one another, further and further. [Inset: 'A mosque in Delhi's Ashok Nagar was torched and a saffron flag associated with the Hindu far right was placed on the minaret' [File: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Al Jazeera]

Eid-ul-Adha 2019 @ Mathra: A Report

Alhamdulillah, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha 2019, members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- South Zone- Kerala (India) celebrated this major Islamic festival in a unique and memorable way: early morning, the members performed Divine invocations, Eid Namaz and listened to the Eid Khutba at the historic Noor’ul Islam Masjid, Mathra on 12 August 2019 ~ (10 Dhul Hijjah 1440 AH).

After the solemn Eid prayers at the Masjid in the morning, the Jamaat members took the initiative on the occasion to organize a social outreach/ community lunch Programme in the village’s Old Age Home, Summa Alhamdulillah.

Along with the lunch meeting with the mothers and sisters at the Meera Charitable Trust, Mukarram Amir Jamaat, Jenab R. Jamaluddin Raother Saheb also conducted an interactive session with students and other guests who were present on the occasion at the venue. 

Naib Sadr of the Siraj Makin, Fauzia Jamal-Zain Saheba also joined the Amir Saheb in the conversations with the young women and men, and they interacted on a range of significant issues that confront every human in this world: the purpose of life; true goals of education; our social responsibilities; the role of spirituality in shaping our ethical frameworks, etc. These conversations apparently opened up a world of thought  for the non-Muslim audience who were unfamiliar to many of those Islamic precepts. Indeed, the presentation of Prophetic traditions and Islamic perspectives for the betterment of all humans, including the duty to care for the indigent and socially marginalized, was deeply appreciated by those who listened to our members, Alhamdulillah. 

Never Insult the Beliefs of Others

"...I would like to briefly address on the unfortunate incident which has transpired last week (04-05 September 2015) at Rivière des Anguilles in the South of Mauritius. The Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and this humble self strongly condemn what some strong-headed and senseless “Muslims” have done at the Amma Tookay Temple, wrecking some idols found there under alcohol influence.

Islam is a tolerant religion, and preaches no compulsion in religion and respect for others. Both Allah, our Glorious Creator and our perfect role model, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) have both condemned such acts because, when one, in occurrence a person who says he is Muslim abuses and wrecks the idols of other faiths on his own, then he is in fact inviting the other party to abuse Allah and Islam and to wreck the perfect teachings of Islam.

And secondly, alcoholic drinks are absolutely forbidden in Islam. Thus the acts of these people are not Islamic at all. Instead they are presenting a dirty image of Islam and its teachings. May Allah protect His Deen-e-Islam from such senseless people who are only “Muslims” in name and who portray Islam as tolerating violence and terrorism. Ameen..."  (From the Friday Sermon of September 11, 2015)

Never Insult Others

It is very unfortunate to see what had happened in the south of Mauritius, as I told you last week how a few idiots spoiled the image of Islam and its teaching. Was all that they did Islamic? First, by the despicable way they behaved, they disobeyed the commandments of Allah and His Messenger (pbuh). So these kinds of people cannot say that they are Muslims. 

I ask those who have the habit of giving fatwas (judgements) on who are Muslims or not, therefore, with such vile actions – and from the teachings of Islam vis-à-vis other religions – can these people still be considered Muslims? 

The religion of Islam has never granted permission to insult, provoke or denigrate people or their beliefs. 

Rather Islam teaches Muslims that tolerance in religion (Islam) is a virtue, and therefore, a Muslim by the belief he professes, he must be someone friendly and who ensures protection for the life, honour and property of his countrymen.

He must not do anything wrong to harm the reputation of others and should respect the beliefs of others and their places of worship.

The Holy Prophet (saws) said that the best Muslim is the one whose hand and tongue do not harm anyone.

Islamic Teachings for Social Peace

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, my Rab again gives me the opportunity to continue on the same subject-matter of last Friday’s Sermon.

On Social Welfare 

Furthermore, as Islam teaches us, we must stress on the rights of the poor for we must regard them as our brethrens. Thus, a person should not be deprived of that which he has acquired by the exercise of his talents. The competition which is the result of a divergence in talents and capacities is essential for the progress of the world; but that those who are in possession of the wealth of a nation are bound to allot a certain portion of it, fixed by Islam, towards the welfare of the poor, and to employ the balance towards objects of public utility rather than towards the gratification of personal desires; that is to say, that they ought to prefer the happiness to be derived from the distribution rather than that to be derived from the hoarding or squandering of wealth.

The teachings of Islam stand unique in this respect. Islam recognises and upholds the principle of private ownership, but it also recognises that no man can be rich without a contribution of the labour of others, and it therefore explicitly enjoins that out of the wealth of the rich a portion should be set apart and spent through the government for the welfare of the poor as compensation for the contribution made by the poor towards its production. It also enjoins upon the State the duty of providing for all its people the necessaries of life and the means of instruction.

Foreign Relations 

With regard to international relations, they can never be put on satisfactory basis till it is realised that nations and Government are as much subject to the dominion of morals as individuals. Indeed, most international disputes are the result of the false doctrine which prevails that Governments are not bound to conform to the moral standard expected of individuals. For the peace of the world it is necessary that the subjects of each state should cooperate with their respective Governments. There can be no objection to their taking measures to demand and safeguard their rights, but in so doing they must not adopt a course of conduct which is calculated to disturb the public peace or to undermine the authority of the Government, or which is objectionable from a moral viewpoint.

So long as there are people who believe sincerely in some religion or other, and the world is not composed entirely of men who use religion as a cloak to be donned on ceremonial occasions, religions differences are bound to arise. True harmony would be established only when the world, or the majority of its people, were united by the restrictions of one common faith.

Inter-Religious Harmony

To bring peace, therefore, to the universe, I have claimed that God Almighty has sent me so that, through me, men may be gathered in the fold of one faith and thus find outward and inner peace. Even though, presently man and man is not yet united in one religion, the true religion and way of life, viz., Islam, however, to ensure the improvement of the present conditions of individuals, religions and society at large, the following suggestions are to be observed: