LAST PROPHET OF SECULARISM

Even as the national media collectively orgasmed over Rakhi Sawant’s engagement this past weekend, a colossus passed away in Kerala. More than a million people braved the rains to pay homage to Panakkad Mohammadali Shihab Thangal, the President of the Indian Union Muslim League.

For the devout, Shihab Thangal was the descendant of the Prophet himself. For the politically attuned, he was the most influential Muslim political leader in Kerala. Not the rabid, chest-thumping, victim playing, regressive kind. But one who was fiercely secular and progressive in spite of the gravest odds.

For more than three decades, Shihab Thangal was the cornerstone of coalition politics in God’s Own Country. The rudder, without whom, the experiment called UDF would never have seen the light of day. For a man who never contested an election and who never held any governmental / constitutional post, Shihab Thangal wielded unparalleled clout. His was the last word for a large majority of the Muslims of North Kerala.

The man was avowedly secular, down to his bone marrow. Imagine a Muslim leader saying this, just days after the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. “Not one stone will be thrown at a Hindu house. In fact, every Muslim will stand guard at his Hindu brethren’s house.” It takes a man of extreme conviction or plain balls to say that. If God’s own country didn’t flare up after the infamous events of 6 Dec 92, then God has this steadfast disciple to thank. In the face of the gravest provocation, Shihab Thangal did not dilute his own or the League’s fierce secularism. And in hindsight, he was proven right.

But political clout alone doesn’t explain the phenomenon that Shihab Thangal was. He was also a supreme religious head. For the believers of the Word, he was a descendant of the Holy Prophet himself. He was also a great philanthropic. Someone who realized that the truest disciples of Allah are the ones who take care of their brethren.

There’s a fascinating story about the poor people who used to visit Thangal’s ancestral home, Kurappanakkal in Panakkad village. Thangal used to ensure that each one of them was given one proper meal and return bus fares. For him, charity was not a service, it was a solemn duty. Something which every prosperous Muslim owed to his Creator for the blessings he was bestowed with.

What makes his story even more fascinating is when you compare him with other Muslim leaders of his time, in the rest of India. Not one of them can even hold a candle to kind of contributions Shihab Thangal has done for the Muslims of Malappuram. Malappuram wasn’t exactly the most prosperous district in Kerala. In the sixties and seventies, it ranked fairly low in almost all major social indices. Today, Malappuram is India’s first e-literate district. And Shihab Thangal has had no small role to play in this.

Compare this to the Maulvis and Ulemas in UP and Bihar. They have a vested interest in keeping a majority of their community poor and backward. Else, the political relevance of these reverend men diminishes. Agreed that over time, various political parties have treated Muslims as a monolithic vote bank. But Muslim leaders will have to share some of that blame as well. After all you can’t keep playing the victim card all the time.

As the Muslims of Kerala mourn the passing away of one of their favourite sons, let’s also redeem our faith in all that Shihab Thangal stood for. Compassion, humility and decency. He was truly the last prophet of secularism.