Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF) State vice president Sathar Panthaloor triggered a controversy when he said that the workers of the SKSSF would be in the forefront to “chop off the hands of those coming to defame, harass or assault the spiritual leaders of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama”.
Although the “hands chopping” remarks he made during the conclusion of an SKSSF rally named Muqaddas here on Thursday night were not taken for their face value, Mr. Panthaloor evoked severe criticism from various corners for his speech.
He had said that if anyone harassed and pursued the SKSSF workers for what they are doing, the organisation would hit back. “We are not indebted to anyone but Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama,” said Mr. Panthaloor.
More than the sharpness of the language used during his animated speech, the context in which Mr. Panthaloor spoke in wholesome support for the Samastha was in focus on Friday.
His remarks were reflection of the ongoing faceoff between a section within the Samastha and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) headed by its State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal.
Mr. Panthaloor and Abdul Hameed Faizy Ambalakadavu were among a handful of young Samastha leaders who kept away from the annual conference of Jamia Nooriyya Arabic College held at Pattikkad last week reportedly at the behest of the IUML supremo. Jamia Nooriyya is still considered the flagship institution of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama.
