Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) Kerala president Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal has found himself in the middle of a controversy following his recent comments that there was no need to protest against the newly consecrated Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Thangal’s remarks, made at a public meeting in Malappuram on January 24, have been widely shared on social media, triggering debate over the issue.
Who is Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal?
The 59-year-old political leader is a senior member of the Malappuram-based prominent Panakkad family, which commands influence over a significant portion of Kerala’s Muslim voters.
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He hails from a long line of thangal community leaders. He assumed the role of the IUML chief in March 2022, succeeding his brother Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, at a time when the party was without power at the Centre or state. Before that, he was in charge of the party when his brother, who had held the post since 2009, was taken ill.
Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal had previously served as the Malappuram district president of IUML. He had also served as the state president of the Youth League and the Kozhikode-based student organisation Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF).
His party is an ally of the Congress in Kerala, and Thangal has criticised CPI(M) on numerous occasions over “the autocratic style of functioning” of the current LDF government in the state.
In 2020, Thangal had courted controversy over his comments of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. In an article in his party daily Chandrika, Thangal had hailed the Turkish government’s decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia from a church to a mosque. “Many European countries, which have opposed Turkey’s decision on Hagia Sophia, have not allowed Muslims the right to offer namaz… when all contemporary Christian religious and political leaders disagree with the conversion… they do not make any stake over its ownership realising that historically there is no ground for such a demand,” he wrote.
His comments were criticised by the pro-Congress Christian community leaders, with the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council spokesperson saying, “Before glorifying the encroachment of Hagia Sophia Church, IUML leader Sadiq Ali should have learned history.”
However, in an interview with The Indian Express in 2021, Thangal said, “My article on reconversion of Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque was misinterpreted. I have spoken to Church leaders to clear the air.”
What did he say about the Ram Temple?
Commenting on the consecration, Thangal said, “A major development has taken place in our country. Ram Temple, which the majority community of the country had desired, has become a reality. The country cannot go back now. That was a necessity of the majority community in the country. We need not protest that the temple has come up in Ayodhya. In a pluralistic society, everybody has freedom to go ahead as per their faith.”
“The Ram Temple and the Babri masjid, which is under construction following a court verdict, are best examples of secularism. We should imbibe that. Both are best symbols of secularism. It is true that karsevaks had destroyed the masjid and we had protested against it in those days. But Muslims in the country could face that situation with tolerance, especially in Kerala where Muslim community is very sensitive and active,” he added.
Thangal continued, “When the masjid was demolished, Muslims in Kerala could show a model for the country. Then, the entire country and its political leadership looked down south to Kerala. They were keen to know whether peace was prevailing in Kerala. We never fall to provocations and temptations.” He added that in the wake of the Ayodhya Temple ceremony too, there were provocations, but the IUML took a stand for peace and harmony.