Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama

Introduction

Kerala Muslims, who constitute 26.56% of the total population of the state, have their own characteristics and peculiarities that distinguish them from other Muslim communities in India. Islam entered South India much early compared to the Northern parts of the country. Arab traders and missionaries propagated their faith by their own ideal manners, persuasion and example. The direct relation of Kerala Muslims with Arabian Islam alienates them from what is called Indo-Persian Islam. In contrast to the rest of Muslims in India, Kerala Muslims observe the Shafi'i school of law. They never enjoyed ruling power unlike in North India, but remained as self-reliant merchants, fisherman or peasants throughout the centuries. There were no linguistic barriers to alienate Muslims from their non-Muslim counterparts, as the entire Keralites speak the Dravidian language of Malayalam, and Muslims never used Urdu as their mother tongue.

With the onset of the 20th century and the introduction of modernist as well as Western trends in all walks of life, Kerala Muslims also saw waves of changes sweeping them along with other communities. The tragic incidents of 1921 Malabar Rebellion, which was culmination of almost four centuries long repression and anti Muslim cruelties by the colonial powers and which had made Muslims condition worse and pathetic in all fields, expedited the modern trends. However, the responses to the present situation led to influence by the modernist and reformist movements within the community thus calling for a reformed Islam rejecting the entire traditional heritage.

The traditional spiritual leaders and Ulama's realized that they had to protect the Muslim community from the infiltration and influences of western un-Islamic culture on one hand and the defend the traditional Islam from being absorbed by the modernist, fundamentalist and puritanical as well as reformist versions of religion on the other hand. To face both the challenges simultaneously, the spiritual leadership thought of reinvigorating the Islamic education, of spreading the grand heritage of knowledge, of organizing to protect the traditional rites and rituals and of making the public more religious and more sensitive towards new interpretations. Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama was the result of this traditional response.

Formation

The formation of Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama was the response of the traditional to the conditions of post 1921 Malabar Rebellion period in which Kerala Muslim community generally witnessed a radical shift from the folds of individual leadership to the folds of organizations. The Ulama felt the need to organize to defend and protect Kerala's Islamic tradition and to wage a revivalist movement against the new interpretations.

In 1925, some major Ulama's and other society leaders gathered at Calicut Valiya Juma Masjid and formed an Ulama organization after prolonged and serious discussions. They traveled throughout the state to convey the message of the Ulama organization to maximum religious scholars who were living in the mosques or religious centers serving the Islamic knowledge.

A year later on June 26, 1926, a bigger convention was called at Calicut Town hall, where eminent scholars from across the state participated, under the chairmanship of Sayyid Shihabuddhin Cherukunchikkoya Thangal. The convention reorganized the previously formed temporary organization and adopted a full-fledged organizational set up in the name of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul

Ulama.

Registration

Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama was formed on June 26, 1926 but it was officially registered on November 14, 1934, as the government approved its bylaw, which was agreed upon after deep and wide scholarly discussions held in various Mushawara meets and in consultation with law experts. It promulgated the propagation of true Islam, impart of religious education and activities against superstitions and un-Islamic traditions as its primary and supreme objectives. Its bylaw also included encouragement for secular education compatible with religious beliefs, and calls for religious tolerance, interfaith friendship, peaceful existence and national progress. The registration Number is S1.1934/35 at office of the Kozhikode district registrar.

Aims and Objectives :

According to the bylaw, the main aims and objectives of the organization are :

Mushawara(The Consulate Body)

Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama's supreme body and the working committee is called the Mushawara. It consists of 40 eminent scholars of the time who are drawn purely on the basis of their scholarship in Islam, religious piety, faithfulness and devoutness. The word Mushawara, Consultation, is drawn from the Qur'anic order to seek scholarly advice in matters.

Public Conferences

Samastha leaders organised a host of public conferences at various places to spread their messages. Facing an opposition of secularly educated people, journalists, advocates and neo-scholars who had been fruitfully utilizing all means from public meetings to publications to propagate their reformist ideologies and to brand traditionalists as courting shirk, Samastha leaders were compelled to come out to defend themselves against allegations and to explain its views. Systematically held public conferences and anniversaries increased Samastha's popularity, kept the majority of Mappila Muslims in their fold, and restricted the inroads of reformist ideologies. In the first 25 years, Samastha focused its agenda on conducting public conferences, dialogues and ideological conflicts. Between 1927 and 1944 it convened 15 annual conferences at various places attracting immense public attention. The 16th conference held at Karyavattam was important as since then Samastha started to keep records and registers of all activities, resolutions and decisions scientifically. 90th anniversary ceremony was attended by lakhs of people which was held at the Alappuzha Beach on 2016 February 11 to 14.

Founding Mushawara Members

Early Years (1926–1957)

Sub Organizations

Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama (S. K. J. U.) have separate feeder organizations for each layer of the society.

They are:

1. Sunni Yuvajana Sangam(SYS - for the youth),
2. Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF - for higher students)
3. Samastha Kerala Sunni Bala Vedi(SKSBV - for children)
4. Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Mu'allimeen (SKJM - for religious school teachers)
5. Samastha Kerala Islamic Education Board (Coordination of more than 10,000 Madrassa's)
6. Samastha Kerala Sunni Mahallu Federation (SKSMF)

Sunni Yuvajana Samgham

Samastha decided to form a youth organization under its fold at its 20th public conference held at Tanur on April 25, 1954 to organize the youth and public under Samastha and to give Samastha an organizational set up at grassroots level. The Yuvajan Sangam, known as SYS was formed a day later on April 26 at the office of Calicut Ansar ul-Islam.

Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation

Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federations (SKSSF) is the higher students organization. The organization was formed on February 19, 1989 as a part of the attempt to organize all Muslim students under its fold and to nurture them into a good moral life. SKSSF has been actively involving in all community related issues and struggling for their rights. Sayyid Hameed Ali Shihab Thangal is the President and Sathar Panthalloor is the current General Secretary. SKSSF has various other activities under different wings namely:

Samastha Kerala Islamic Education Board

Samastha Kerala Islamic Education Board (known as Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidhyabhyasa Board) runs a primary religious education programme that has more than nine thousand Madrasas under it. Understanding the requirement of a sub organization exclusively to focus on imparting primary Islamic education, Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama (S. K. J. U.)formed Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidhyabhyasa Board (SKIMVB). The board carried out its main objective of setting op madrassas across the state from its very initial stage and the educational system was made systematic through the preparation of syllabus for students until 12th grade and students found time to attend madrassas along with their regular schooling. It was in 1952 the board called applications for madrassa recognition and recognized 10 madrassas that year.

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Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Mu'allimeen Central Council(SKJMCC) is a teachers association under the board, which has 19 districts and 411 range level committees other than the central committee. SKJMCC has been doing creative and appreciable services in providing various kinds of benefits and welfare projects for its thousands of mostly poor teaching community. There are 14 kinds of service benefit schemes and 6 types of welfare funds under SKJMCC. As of 2006, 1,004,650 are studying under SKIMVB recognized madrasas and 78,709 teachers who have been officially by opening and maintaining Mu'allim register at SKIMVB office, are working in these madrasas.

Publications

Samastha's message is spread among the community through a number of publications. The educational board came to the publication field with the launch of Al-Bayan monthly, first in Arabic Malayalam and then in Malayalam in 1954. The magazine ceased to exist after few years. In 1959, the Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Mu'allimeen (SKJM) started its mouthpiece "Al Mu'allim " magazine. It was started as thrimasika(quarterly), did not last long, but in 1977 it was restarted as monthly as it still continues. The other publications are:

1. Sathyadhara Fortnightly (Malayalam, Kannada & Gulf editions)
2. Thelitcham Monthly
3. Sunni Afkhar Weekly
4. Kudumbam Family Magazine
5. Kurunnukal Children's Magazine
6. Al Mu'allim
7. Al Ahsan (Kannada)
8. Annahda Arabic Magazine
9. Anoor Arabic Magazine
10. Suprabhaatham Daily News Paper