'Avoid divisive statements that fuel communal tensions'; Abdulla Koya Madani responds on Zumba issue

KOZHIKODE: Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) State President T.P. Abdulla Koya Madani has urged everyone to refrain from making statements or taking stances that ignite communal or sectarian divisions in society. He was speaking while inaugurating the KNM State Workers’ Convention in Kozhikode.

“Those who fuel communal fires must understand that they won’t be able to extinguish them later,” Madani warned. He emphasised that instead of addressing the real issues plaguing Kerala’s public and higher education sectors, there is a worrying trend of creating distractions through controversies over irrelevant matters.

He cautioned against attempts to create communal division among schoolchildren under the guise of the recent Zumba controversy, and stressed that religious scholars must speak with maturity. "Clerics should never adopt divisive stances that fragment society," he added.

The controversy began with comments made by Samastha youth leader Abdussamad Pookkottur, who criticised the idea of boys and girls dancing together, saying that encouraging such interaction at a young age was inappropriate. He also argued that insisting everyone participate in Zumba dance was wrong. His stance received support from the Sunni Mahal Federation and Mujahid group State Vice President Husain Madavoor. However, Samastha President Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal has not commented on the issue.