The Panakkad Qazi Foundation is aimed at strengthening the ideals of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Panakkd Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal has said.
He was delivering a speech at a meeting of the foundation held here on Saturday. This comes against the backdrop of speculations that the organisation, led by the Panakkad Thangal family which has been leading the IUML for long, is an attempt to weaken the Sunni Mahallu Federation, another outfit under the Samastha, the Sunni scholars’ forum.
‘Mahallu’ committees are influential Muslim social organisations centred around mosques. The foundation is being set up to oversee the activities of those mosques over which the Thangal family has jurisdictional authority. Trustees and other functionaries of the committees spread across various districts in Kerala and Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu were present at the meeting.
K. Alikkutty Musliar, general secretary of the Samastha, raised a flag to open the event. Other senior functionaries of the organisation were present on the dais.
The Thangal pointed out that the Panakkad family had been thinking about setting up a mechanism to coordinate the activities of ‘mahallu’ committees of which they are traditional qazis. “Many things are changing, the number of ‘mahallus’ are increasing. There are demographic changes. There could be disputes between members and families. Thus, there is a demand for a coordinated system,” he said.
The Thangal also clarified that the Panakkad family had been followers of the Samastha and they were functionaries of its affiliate organisations. “Our forefathers have been part of it. This is a legacy passed on to us through generations. We cannot leave the Samastha. This organisation will only strengthen the Samastha,” he added.
