How 'CM ambitious' Tharoor is trying to score brownie points with Muslim community

CM aspirant Shashi Tharoor met Muslim religious leaders from several groups.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 14: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who expressed his willingness to be Kerala Chief Minister recently, is getting support from the Muslim organisations which is considered as the vote bank of the UDF in Kerala.

He has met several leaders in recent days. On Saturday, he shared a post on Twitter over having an interaction with "liberal" Salafi organisation Nadvathul Mujahideen. "Along with my LokSabha colleague @mkraghavaninc, called on TP AbdullaKoya Madani, chief of the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, a liberal Salafi organisation, & his senior team. Our warm welcome included a book on the Kerala Muslim Renaissance, in last pic," he tweeted.

In another tweet, the 66-year-old Congress leader spoke about meeting Sayyid Muhammed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal, President of the Samastha Kerala Jem'iyyathul Ulema, a major body of Sunni scholars. "Called on Sayyid Muhammed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal, President of the Samastha Kerala Jem'iyyathul Ulema, a major body of Sunni scholars, at his office in Kozhikode and was honoured by his warm welcome. The Samastha is a noted liberal voice in Kerala's Muslim society," he posted.

After the meeting Tharoor, Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulema president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya Thangal said that the Congress leader was a world citizen who can be utilised effectively, according to a report. He showered good words about the Thiruvananthapuram MP for trying to bring the grand old party to maintrstream.

"Tharoor possesses the wisdom of understanding the world well. People like him are global citizens. Tharoor has been making interventions to bring Congress back to the mainstream politics," a report quoted him as saying.

How Tharoor is Trying to Score Brownie Points with Muslim Community
Although he is trying to garner the Muslim community's support with his ambition to become Chief Minister of Kerala, what has worried many is his endorsements during the meeting.

Reportedly, he told the religious leaders of Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) that the renaissance movement in Kerala is an example for all communities and praised the renaissance efforts of the Mujahid movement. He pointed out about the effective steps that need to be taken to counter the efforts to divide people communally.

In another way, Tharoor has given endorsement to further Islamisation of the Muslims of Kerala. According to a report, Mujahid renaissance movement propagated against Sufism, by calling it corrupt, polytheism etc. It had also called for the revival of true Islamic practices in the Muslim community in Kerala. The report further states that Mujahids consider themselves as proponents of authentic Islamic reform and believe that there is no God other than Allah and that Muhammad was his Prophet.

By praising Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen as a "liberal", it is quite strange how Tharoor is hoping to counter "efforts to divide people communally".

During his meeting with the leaders of Wisdom Islamic Organisation, he reportedly told them that the Uniform Civil Code, which the BJP is trying to implement, is just an election stunt.

His meetings and support clearly indicate that he is desperate to get the support of the Muslim community to fulfil his Chief Ministerial ambitions.