On 31 January, a Muslim man tried to create a communal riot by burning the Bible in Kerala. Muhammad Mustafa, a native of Erinjipuzha in Bedadka Panchayath, Kasaragod District, was arrested. He burned a Malayalam copy of the bible and circulated the video through YouTube. Incidentally, Mustafa is the same one who destroyed the hayloft set up in the government hospital last Christmas.

No devotee from any religion likes to see such acts of desecration. After the video went viral, widespread criticism arose against such radical Islamists. It was only then that Bedadka police registered a case against Mustafa. He was charged with hurting religious sentiments and attempting to create communal riots. 

In the video, Mustafa claimed that he was burning the bible as revenge for the Quran charring incidents in Europe. He then placed the bible on the floor, poured some coconut oil, and lit the Christian holy book on fire. Since it did not burn adequately, the accused added more oil. Finally, Mustafa lit the gas stove, placed the bible’s pages on the fire, and burned the book.

Earlier, Mustafa allegedly tried to create communal fissures when he destroyed the small grass shed built in connection with the Christmas celebration at Muliyar Community Health Centre, a few km north of Erinjipuzha. On 21 December, he took the idols of Jesus, Mary, and others from the hayloft and disposed of them.

Mustafa destroyed the grass shed, saying it was wrong to set it up in a government hospital. He came with a plastic cover in his hand, removed the idols, and walked out casually. Mustafa yelled at the hospital staff, who tried to intervene. He asked those who moderated to complain to Jesus Christ!

That footage was widely circulated on social media. Mustafa revealed his full residential address and his phone number without any hesitation. Later, he released a voice message claiming that if a hayloft is installed in the hospital, it will cause illness, which was why he destroyed it.

The latest bible burning occurred while Adhur police were still ‘investigating’ the old case. Protests and demonstrations against Islamist jihadis continue to rock Kerala. The Kerala Council of Churches alleged that these incidents clearly show the rise of Talibanism in Kerala.

Even though a raging debate is underway, not a single influential leader from either Congress or the Communist party has condemned the incident until now. Mainstream media shunned both incidents. Where are the self-proclaimed crusaders of secularism now?

Meanwhile, Christian Association and Alliance for Social Action (CASA) demanded decisive action against Mustafa. CASA explained that when Mustafa destroyed the hayloft, he was rescued after being falsely depicted as a person with a mental health condition. On 26 January, the accused participated in a Clubhouse discussion and admitted that he had no mental disorder. 

Mustafa stated that ‘they’ did so to evade the police case. There are allegations that those who protected him include police officers associated with Pacha Velicham (Green Light), political leaders, and fundamentalist Islamists. Back then, Mustafa’s desecration received plenty of support from radical Islamists on social media. All these facts encouraged him to indulge in the current crime.   

CASA alleged on Facebook that Mustafa is a regular participant in online discussions. He has been using the KL 14 ID for some time now. His primary focus is to justify Islamic terrorist organizations and their activities and insult Hindu/Christian beliefs.

CASA does not wish a case to be filed against Mustafa, and he will be remanded and released on bail tomorrow. A responsible government should first identify that he is not mentally ill and find the real instigators working behind the scenes. Others wanted Mustafa to be locked up permanently like, Abdul Madani. 

The very same day that Mustafa’s videos received traction, CASA posted that Mustafa burned the bible in retaliation for some sycophant Sayipp (Angrez) burning the Quran in Europe. Tomorrow, if a few Islamic terrorists are killed in some Sayipp’s bomb attacks in Palestine, Afghanistan, or Syria, these Mustafas will come down with a knife to take revenge. They might slash your neck or clamber onto the church altar and slit the priest’s throat from behind while he offers mass!

If you speak up, secularism here (in Kerala) will be destroyed, and you will lose your secular title. In December, Mustafa was saved by the panchayat presidents and councilors (who were Christian community members), portraying him as a mental patient. Some priests and members of church organizations supported it.

When such bigots continue to increase insecurity in society, enlightened Kerala’s legal system ignores such incidents and does not initiate any action. Even if this religious fanatic takes the life of an innocent believer (non-Muslim) tomorrow, it is sure that he will be saved by claiming that he is a lunatic.

The compromise after the hayloft desecration was a massive example of how the political leadership supported criminals. This is what happens when a particular religion becomes the majority! Mustafa was called a madman, and a settlement was reached.

Islamic terrorists used Mustafa and destroyed the hayloft to test the waters. It was similar to the test dose that saw Joseph Master’s hand chopped off! (Professor T J Joseph was a Malayalam professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, who was accused of blasphemy by Islamic zealots and hacked into submission in July 2010. Both the church and the Christian college where he worked abandoned Prof. Joseph)

The church leadership didn’t respond appropriately then (when the hayloft and idols were smashed), so these radical Islamists burned the Bible using the same Mustafa today. Tomorrow they will burn the hands that were on the bible. Just wait and see! The full video and CASA’s post are available here.