How a Kerala imam turned Ramadan into a lesson in communal brotherhood

At a time when religious polarisation has become a part of daily socio-religious and political life in India, a Qutba (sermon) delivered by the imam of the Palayam Juma Masjid in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala has gone viral, for a unique pitch promoting communal harmony.

On Friday (February 27), speaking in Malayalam from the mosque’s pulpit, Suhaib Moulavi urged fellow Muslim members to serve women devotees arriving in the city for the upcoming Hindu festival of Attukal Pongala as “best hosts”, offering them food, water, and resting spaces by opening the doors of their homes and mosques. He also said that it is only through love and brotherhood that Islamophobia and hatred can be resisted.

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The religious leader’s words, coming in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, which has coincided with the Attukal Pongala ceremony on March 3, went viral on social media in no time, earning applause.

'Become their best hosts'

“In a few days, Attukal Pongala will take place,” Moulavi said in his sermon. “Lakhs of women and children will arrive in Thiruvananthapuram as guests. We must become their best hosts.”

Acknowledging that the festival, which marks one of the world’s largest annual gatherings of women devotees, belongs to a different faith, he said that doesn’t stop the Muslims from displaying hospitality and civic responsibility towards those who observe it, particularly women and children, while they stay in the state capital.

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Despite the Muslims themselves fasting for Ramadan, they should be compassionate towards the Hindu devotees if they are hungry, thirsty, and tired during their celebrations, Moulavi added.

“We are in Ramadan and observing fast,” he said in his sermon, adding, “But those who come for Pongala will be tired and thirsty. We must offer them drinking water. We must provide them food. Our mosques and our homes should be open before them. We must arrange places for them to rest.”

'Genuine gestures'

Moulavi said that such gestures should not be just symbolic ones but moved by true expressions of faith and humanity.

“It is only through love and brotherhood that we can resist Islamophobia and hatred. We must clearly understand that,” he said.

The speech was shared on social media by V Sivankutty, Kerala’s general education minister and a Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader. The post was widely circulated as people from across political and religious backgrounds appreciated it, describing it as a true reflection of Kerala’s culture of co-existence.

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There are also other contexts that make the imam’s message significant. The location (Palayam) of the mosque from where he spoke is at the heart of the city and is home to three major religious institutions of three different faiths - the Sakthi Vinayaka Temple and the St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral being the other two.

Located in close proximity to each other, they see devotees of different faiths peacefully crossing paths to visit their respective places of worship and reinforce a strong sense of religious coexistence, something the admirers of secularism still cherish.

During 'The Kerala Story 2' row

That apart, Moulavi’s message also comes on the day the controversial The Kerala Story 2 hit the theatres. The earlier film under the same franchise had generated debate over its portrayal of communal issues in the state. Controversies around the latest one have not been any less.

Against that backdrop, the imam focused on hospitality and compassion rather than division.

Fraternity strongest response to prejudice

His appeal also highlighted the necessity of shared civic responsibility transcending religious identities, something India’s burgeoning festivals often need. As venues hosting them turn overcrowded with arrivals of lakhs of devotees, civic amenities and authorities feel the pressure, and a coordinated effort to ensure proper functioning of drinking water supply, sanitation, traffic management, and emergency services becomes key.

As people throng Thiruvananthapuram’s Attukal Temple for the Pongala festival in huge numbers, the Palayam Juma Masjid imam’s sermon creates a welcome opportunity to strengthen social bonding through civic cooperation.

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“Our sisters and children will come here as guests. We must share the joy of Ramadan with them. We must share love and fraternity,” he said, driving a potent point home.

While designs to polarise voters in a poll-bound state are not new, efforts towards bridging communal divides are something that still strike a chord with several.

The imam’s appeal that hospitality is a shared duty, and fraternity is the strongest response to prejudice, just proved it.