Kerala Controversy: Political and Religious Debate over Lighting a Traditional Lamp
A real mess unfolded in Kerala recently after Perambra MLA Fathima Thahliya lit a traditional nilavilakku during some restaurant opening in Kozhikode. It wasn't just a simple ceremony; it kicked off a big political and religious argument.
Thahliya, who is the first woman elected to the Kerala Assembly on an IUML ticket, performed this act recently in her constituency. But suddenly, it brought up this whole thorny issue: should Muslims, especially public representatives, be participating in rituals traditionally tied to other faiths? The attention immediately went everywhere. Religious groups reacted fast. Social media exploded too.
The criticism came from the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama , one of the bigger Sunni-Shafi organizations here. They stepped in pretty quickly with a statement. It basically said Muslims should steer clear of ceremonies and practices that don't come from Islamic teachings or are just what other groups observe traditionally.
The organization pointed out something about the lamp itself. Lighting a nilavilakku has been done by non-Muslims for ages, seen as their own religious ceremony. But they also tried to soften the blow. They urged Muslims to keep things peaceful and harmonious while being careful about these kinds of practices.
Abdul Hameed Faizy Ambalakkadavu, a leader within Samastha, later posted something on Facebook reinforcing this view. He hammered home that Islam demands friendship and tolerance for everyone else. He brought up an old analogy how the companions treated neighbors when slaughtering animals to show the basis of Islamic instruction. But he made it clear: you can’t adopt rituals followed by other faiths under Islam.
There was some pushback on this religious take, naturally. Some people took to social media instantly. They argued that lighting a lamp simply shouldn't be seen as against Islam at all.
You saw comments flying around X. People were mocking the critics. There were jabs about Kerala’s supposed high literacy rate thrown in there. One user made a sharp comment: “Don’t think any other state is as regressive as Kerala in this matter. Zero Jobs but 100% religious bigotry by Islamists.”
Others just focused on the visual aspect. One Facebook user noted that lighting an inaugural lamp isn't inherently forbidden, and suggested you can find similar lamps everywhere in many mosques and dargahs. They seemed to pivot to celebrating the fact that a Muslim woman had been there for the function instead of focusing solely on the ritual itself.
Omair Alam asked a direct question: how did this all suddenly turn into an anti-Islamic thing? Others echoed that lights are common, seen in countless places. The general feeling was that treating it as a strict taboo felt unnecessary.
It’s important to remember who Fathima Thahliya is outside of this immediate debate. She made history by being the first woman elected to the Kerala Assembly on an IUML ticket. Her political journey wasn't easy. As a lawyer, she started with the Muslim Students Federation stuff at Kozhikode Law College. Then she got involved in Haritha, the women’s wing of that group. She’s held some leadership roles nationally too, and now she’s in the Youth League.
She also manages things locally. Besides being an MLA, she serves as a councillor for the Kuttichira ward in Kozhikode Corporation. Her win in Perambra was a real upset politically. She managed to defeat senior CPM leader and former minister T P Ramakrishnan by a pretty big margin 5,087 votes. That result really shifted things in Perambra, where Ramakrishnan had held sway for two elections before that.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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