On April 9th, Solidarity and the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) – the youth and student wings of Jamaat-e-Islami – took out a protest march to Karippur Airport near Kozhikode in Kerala. They were protesting against the Waqf Amendment Bill. Jamat-e-Islami national vice president Malik Mohtasim Khan inaugurated the meeting.
To begin with, any protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill is quite comical. Think about it: what exactly is their demand? They are essentially asking to reinstate the right of their religious board to take over any property across Bharat whenever they wish.
By opposing the bill and demanding its repeal, that is precisely what they are advocating, aren’t they? Well, yes, I understand what you might be thinking—we are a democracy, and every citizen has the right to protest peacefully. The laws of our liberal nation do indeed grant us that right. As expected, the march turned violent, and the police soon had to resort to lathi charge and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
See the visuals here:
I know what you’re thinking: So what? In a vibrant democracy like ours, this isn’t the first march that has turned violent, and it certainly won’t be the last. So, what’s the big deal? Well, the march has set off alarm bells after photographs of several radical Islamist figures were displayed during the protest. Take a look at this image!
This is Hassan al-Banna. He does seem like a nice man with that calm expression on his face, doesn’t he? Well, he was the founding leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, established in Egypt in 1928. He is considered a key figure by radical Islamists and organizations, including the Brotherhood globally. Hassan al-Banna was assassinated on February 12, 1949, likely by Egyptian government agents, just months after the Egyptian government banned the Muslim Brotherhood on December 8, 1948.
Let’s look at another image displayed during the march. (see the photo below.) The man circled in red is Sayyid Qutb. He was an Egyptian political theorist and a leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood. His writings have significantly influenced extremist groups, including Al-Qaeda. In 1966, Qutb was convicted of plotting to overthrow the Egyptian government, which included plans to assassinate President Gamal Abdel Nasser. He was executed by hanging on August 29, 1966.
That’s it? Only two photos were displayed, and I’m making a big deal out of it? Oh, there’s more. Take a look at the other man in the same photo (see the image below) Yes, you guessed it right. That’s our very own—well, their very own—Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who was recently eliminated by Israeli forces.
Wait, there’s more! This morning, Shashikala Teacher, the Kerala Hindu Aikyavedi leader, made a Facebook post about yet another image that was displayed. (see the photo below)
This is the translation of her post: “Notice the photo of a building displayed during the Kozhikode airport protest related to the Waqf issue. This is the infamous Thirurangadi mosque. The 1921 Mappila riots broke out after a false rumor began spreading that the British army had destroyed this mosque. The knife that was drawn out in 1921…..Thirurangadi mosque should be read together. Attention and caution!”
Please click the link below to view her post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1667PGGPVJ
By “the knife that was drawn out,” she was reminding everyone of a very provocative slogan heard during the anti-CAA protests in the Malabar region. That slogan was almost like a warning to others that 1921 could be repeated if necessary.
Keralites are no longer shocked by these images. Let’s not forget how Hamas leaders openly addressed a crowd in Malappuram via video conference in October 2023. This happened on October 27, when Palestinian leader and former Hamas chief Khaled Mashal addressed an online rally organized by the Solidarity Youth Movement, expressing support for Palestine. Even in that case, the meeting was organized by the SIO. Jamaat-e-Islami seems to have a close affinity with violent leaders like him.
Please click the link below to read the related news report:
Yes, Hamas is still not a designated terrorist organization in India, so technically, displaying their images may not be illegal. But I am not sure how much longer we can let this go on!
Let’s hope the national security agencies are keeping a close watch on all this. Let’s hope they are a few steps ahead of those following such extreme ideologies. It’s time to ban any organization with such violent Islamist ideologies—be it Hamas from Palestine, the Muslim Brotherhood from Egypt, or Jamaat-e-Islami in our own backyard!
You can read more about this protest in the news link below:
Featured Image Source: India Today
