Inter-caste and inter-religious marriages often stir up controversy in Kerala. And recently, a Muslim council (Mahallu Committee) of Kondiparambu in Malappuram district reportedly ordered locals to boycott a wedding after a couple agreed to get their daughter married off to a Christian groom.
On October 19, the Madarul Islam Sangham's Mahallu committee issued a special notice to members of the mosque not to corporate with the family of Kunnummel Yosuf and Najmayusaf Yusaf because of their daughter's wedding with a non-Muslim.
"Since Kunnummal Yusuf has decided to conduct his daughter's wedding to a non-Muslim, we have decided that people should not cooperate with his family for mosque-related affairs or any other matters [translated from Malayalam]," reads the notice issued by the secretary of the Muslim council.
Yusuf's daughter Jaseela got married to Tiso Tomy under the Special Marriage Act on October 20. The next day, the family also arranged a reception in Perintalmanna that was attended by many people, including Muslims, despite the council issuing the circular.
The incident made headlines after Jaseela's uncle Rasheed Cherucopalli took to his Facebook account to announce the news of the inter-faith marriage that was conducted with the consent of both the families. Questioning if a mosque can stop the tides of time, Rasheed posted on social media.
"Yesterday was my neice's wedding. She has the right to marry a person of her choice. Jaseela and Tiso Tomy's wedding is not the first inter-religious marriage here, though it is not common to see such functions conducted with the consent of both the families. I appreciate my sister Najmayusaf Yusaf and brother-in-law for this bold move. Why is Mahallu Committe reacting against this decision? How can they stop the changing tides of time? I just wanted to remind you that the wedding was attended by many Muslim devotees [translated from Malayalam]," Rasheed wrote.
The Facebook post has now gone viral with netizens opposing and supporting the action of the committee. However, a few social media users have also asked why the two dates (July 19 and October 18) mismatch in the circular shared online and question the authenticity of the "boycott" letter.
