Politics
Photo: Mosque in Kasargod district (Wikimedia Commons)
Salafi preacher Shamsudheen Fareed alias Shamsudheen Palath has been charged with hate speech in Kerala where he urged Muslims to stay away from non-Muslims, and declared that Onam and Christmas are haram for Muslims.
The 48-year-old has now been charged following a complaint filed by a lawyer in Kasargod. In his complaint submitted to Kasargod Police Chief Thomson Jose, District President of the Indian Union Muslim League-affliated Kerala Lawyers’ Forum C. Shukkur said that the preacher, under the pretext of religious teaching, was spreading hate and dividing society.
Shukkur, who is also a government pleader and public prosecutor, submitted to the police CDs of Fareed’s two speeches, which had gone viral in social media.
In his speeches, the preacher— in a Salafi mosque at Pallipram, Kannur—called upon Muslims to avoid having interactions or attachments with, and respect to, non-Muslims.
Earlier, he had said that Onam and Christmas are haram for Muslims.
“He calls for Muslims to migrate to places where only Muslims lives, which is actually the ideology of the banned terror outfit ISIS,” Shukkur said.
The preacher’s speeches were suspected to be a deliberate attempt to undermine the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in society, the lawyer said, and added that Fareed was misleading ordinary Muslims.
The District Police Chief has forwarded the complaint to town police, which booked Fareed under Section 153 (A) of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion.
“We will be conducting preliminary investigation before forwarding the case to the police station concerned,” Jose said.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest