By Our Special Correspondent
Thrissur, Nov 02 (IVC) The Syro-Malabar Church expressed grave concern over the political Islamists using the Israel-Palestine conflict to the Muslims’ advantage in Kerala.
The Auxiliary Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church’s Arch eparchy of Changanassery Mar Thomas Tharayil on Oct 28 openly expressed displeasure over the perceived attempt to pull over the terrorist character of the Palestine organization and using the issue to create communal divisions in Kerala.” It raises the suspicion that the ongoing debate over the war is a symptom of the communal cataract that has caught Kerala society. We fear that even the secular parties here are competing with each other to blame only Israel , portraying the brutal attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on a country, where life is going on peacefully, as an act of the defense”, noted the bishop on his social media page.
Observing that the Pope has called for an immediate end to the war, he wanted against parties deliberately acknowledging vote bank as the lone criterion of the truth. “This will only serve to turn even the neutral into communalists”, he said.
The Bishop’s remark comes close on the heels of an editorial in the Deepika, the first daily in Kerala founded by the Saint Elias Kuriakose of Chavara, which is very popular among the Catholic Community . The Malayalam daily unleashed a scathing attack on the pro-Hamas stance adopted in India, particularly the Left parties.
It urged those sympathizing with Hamas to get an idea regarding the situation of 2000-odd Christians living in Gaza,
Among those who have come up to whitewash Hamas include people who are caught n the trap laid by fundamentalists organizations, those who have fallen silent for fear of vote banks, and the cowardly intellectuals. The first step towards reining in terrorism is to identify the terrorist organizations. Such outfits should not be mixed up with human rights organizations and freedom movements. Hamas is indeed a terrorist organization, said the Bishop’s article.
The Catholic Church regards the growing anti-Israel sentiment in Kerala as a manifestation of political Islam deepening its clout over the secular political fronts here.
Besides Congress leader Shashi Tharoor MP’s speech at Kozhikode last week at a Palestine Solidarity meeting organized by the Indian Union Muslim League branding Hamas a terrorist organization created snarling and displeasure among the organizers. Later Tharoor justified that allegation and said that he was always with Palestine.
The row over Hamas ex-chief addressing online Solidarity rally at Malappuram on October 27, ended registering a case against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar by Kerala Government .
The Palestine leader and former Hamas Chief Khaaaled Mashal addressed online rally taken out by the Solidarity Youth Movement expressed support for the
Palestine people. The live video address by Mashal triggered a controversy. The solidarity Youth Movement also also organized at Palakad on Oct 29 to express solidarity with Palestine. The meeting held at the Palakad Fort grounds (Kotta Maidan) raised slogans lke “bulldozer Hindutva and Apartheid Zionism”.
The high profile case against the Union Minister was for his statement of inciting hate between different faiths immediately after the bomb blast at Kalamassery on Oct 29.
BJP’s state president, K Surendran said that the Kerala Government had pandered to the religious extremists by foisting a false case against Union Minister Chandrasekhar. The Kerala government had tacitly endorsed Hamas leader Mashal’s address to the youth wing (Solidarity of Youth Movement of the jaamaat-e-islam) last week at Malappuram.
CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govindan also linked the blast at Kalamassery to the Palestine issue. The opposition Indian National Congress party leader has petitioned to the police to prosecute Govindan for inciting communal enmity .
The communal cauldron in Kerala as boiling to the maximum following the conflict in West Asia due to Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 07, 2023. According to media reports over 10,000 people fell dead like winged-termites following the conflicts.
