The jama'ath of a mosque in Kerala has allegedly opposed the participation of people belonging to the lower strata of the Muslim community in their general meeting, drawing sharp criticism from progressive organisations in society.
The incident was reported from Changanassery, near Kottayam, where the office-bearers of the "Puthoorpally Muslim Jama'ath" mosque allegedly asked those engaged in occupations like haircutting to stay away from a general meeting on the ground that traditionally their ancestors were prohibited from attending.
A person who identified himself as Anish Sali told the media that his family received a notice two days after he attended the meeting.
The jama'ath (a collective of Muslims living in the locality) rejected the allegations as "baseless" and accused "certain centres" of attempting to defame it.
In a statement, the jama'ath office-bearers said a section of the community was not invited to the general meeting as they were earning wages from the jama'ath.
Alleging that it was caste-based discrimination, Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) -- a forum of Muslims committed to the values of democracy, secularism, equality, and justice -- urged the Kerala government and police to take "strong action against these hate-mongers who hold casteist/racist beliefs."
Else, "we will take action against them in our own manner," it said in a statement.
The statement also quoted a tweet by the Dalit Pasmanda Collective Justice Project (DPCJP), a group working for the common problems of Hindu Dalits and Pasmanda Muslims, condemning the alleged act of caste discrimination in the mosque.
IMSD said though Islam does not advocate the concept of caste, evidently caste and caste-based discrimination is still being practised by Muslims in South Asia and elsewhere too.
"We stand in solidarity with the Dalit Pasmanda Collective Justice Project (DPCJP), who have condemned such blatant discrimination by the ’Puthoorpally Muslim Jama’ath' mosque in Changanassery, Kerala," it said, and called upon all Muslim organisations and individuals to demand that the concerned mosque committee apologise to "Dalit Muslims and end the discriminatory practice”.
