Thiruvananthapuram: Prominent religious leaders are slated to meet at 3 pm in Thiruvanathapuram in a bid to resolve the narcotic jihad row on Monday. The meeting will be presided over by Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Bava, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church head.
Changanassery Bishop Mar Joseph Perumthottam, Archbishop Soosa Pakiam, CSI Bishop Dharmaraj Rasalam, Palayam mosque Imam V P Suhaib Moulavi, Panakkad Sayyed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal, Swami Gururethnam Jnana Thapaswi and many other leaders will participate in the meeting.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee chief K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the assembly V D Satheesan held talks with Muslim religious heads on Sunday. The senior Congress leaders met Sayyid Muhammad Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal, the leader of Samastha Kerala Jem'iyyathul Ulema and Grand Mufti of India, Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar.
Later, speaking to reporters, Sudhakaran said the KPCC has decided to take up conciliatory talks between the Christian and Muslim communities as the state government "failed to take up the responsibility"."We understand that nobody in our society wants to spread hatred and want all the religious leaders to come together to discuss and address the matter. The KPCC will convene a meeting of all religious leaders in order to spread the message of religious harmony," he said.
Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt's remark that Christian girls were falling prey to the alleged love and narcotic jihad in Kerala and wherever arms cannot be used, extremists were using such methods to destroy the youth stoked controversy. The bishop's statement at a function on September 9 created ripples in Kerala's political circles.
Also read: Narcotic jihad row: Congress to call meeting of religious leaders
