M.K.George
Sunday morning. I was rudely awakened by a forward from a woman religious, whom I have known as a gentle and socially aware person. She forwarded me a video, with the message that Muslims are going to conquer Kerala and therefore Christians must wake up and act. With the Munambam issue, burning in the hearts of 600 plus families who face eviction and thousands across the state, it seems to have become a fertile ground for promoting discord between communities and specifically promoting Islamophobia.
But where are the sane voices? Where are the calls for dialogue?
The Catholic Church has been prominently in the front advocating for the protection of Munambam families. Rightly so, because majority of the families there are Christians. But as leaders of a Synodal church (let us not forget the Synod on Synodality memories are still alive!) what signs do we see of our leaders listening? Dialoguing?
Synod on Synodality says, “Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, declared a commitment to adopt “a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard” in the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, signed in Abu Dhabi on 4 February 2019. This is not an idle aspiration or something optional along the journey of the People of God in today’s world. A synodal Church commits itself to walk this path alongside the believers of other religions and people of other beliefs wherever it lives. … Through this collaboration, we aim to build together, as sisters and brothers all, in a spirit of “mutual activity and aid” (cf. GS 40), justice, solidarity, peace and interreligious dialogue. (No. 123)
The Dominant narrative
The most popularised and humanly sensitive narrative is that 610 families, who are mostly fishermen, who had bought the lands paying money and have been living in the Munambam area (Ernakulam District in Kerala) for over 100 years are asked to leave the place by the Waqp board which claims they own the property. An inhuman and unjust demand.
While the history of the dispute, beginning in 1902, and the legal issues are quite intricate and are being discussed , the real issue is that political parties and other vested interests are fishing in the troubled waters and making the issue unsolvable. As the Statesman reported ‘Munambam Waqf land row snowballs into political issue amid by-elections in Kerala’ (3.1.2024)
The Saner voices
Fortunately, there are some sane voices. I want to cite three. An Editorial in the Frontline ( Vaishna Roy, 12.11.2024) from a piece by Kavukara Sunny Lukose in Malayalam(‘ Who is keen on Muslims and Christians should fight each other?’) and K.M. Seethi .
Roy highlights how the Muslim community has been targeted by the Central ruling party since 2014. “Since 2014, a series of measures has sought to demonise India’s Muslim community—the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, the criminalisation of triple talaq, and the various jehads from COVID and love jehad to land jehad and vote jehad. Even for the Jharkhand Assembly election campaign, the BJP has aggressively raised the bogey of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants robbing tribal lands and tribal women…” The author questions the real motive of the new Waqp Board Bill, whether it is to help the Muslims or to control a community. He adds, ‘There is much that real reform can achieve, but it must be consultative and come with clean hands.’ The fact remains that the Muslim community is a hunted community and large numbers are still poor and needs compassionate listening.
Sunny Lukose arrives at an interesting conclusion at the end of his reflections: ‘Here when the Waqf board under the control of the government could settle the issues through an affidavit or through an out of court settlement, if that is not done, some politicians and vested interests are benefitting from the false narratives among both Christians and Muslims , the consequent hatred among Christians and Muslims and Waqf Board is being made a tool’ (Free translation from the original in Malayalam).
K.M. Seethi in the Wire (11.11.2024) added: ‘ A timely settlement is vital to restoring communal harmony and fostering mutual co-existence in Kerala. For the affected families, the stakes are not just legal but deeply personal , rooted in their right to continue living in their ancestral homes. To resolve this dispute, more than legislative interventions are needed. A constructive dialogue between the Kerala government, the Waqf Board and the affected communities is essential to reach a fair and lasting solution. A pragmatic approach would be to recognise the rights of those with valid title deeds while also ensuring that the original charitable objectives of the Waqf are honoured’.
Is it only the responsibility of the Governments?
Major Archbishop Raphael Thattil, head of the Syro-Malabar Church, recently called on both the Union and State governments to step in and resolve the issue. “This is a humanitarian issue and must be addressed in a humane, democratic way, in accordance with the Constitution,” he said after visiting those participating in a hunger strike in Munambam on Saturday.
The question is can we sit back or go on agitating , putting the full responsibility on the government? Isn’t there a call as Christians to dialogue?
Can Christians get tired of dialoguing?
The crucial question is while the affected parties and the supporting groups, especially the Church should take all legal means and continue to create awareness, how do they also follow the mandate of the Synodal Church for listening and dialogue? Can the CBCI /CCBI or related bodies form a team of mediators to dialogue with the Muslim leadership and arrive at a solution to this very humane problem. Or Would they be happy to continue to use the sad situation as another tool for deepening the demonisation of the Muslims?
A bold Christian answer would be to start an intense process of dialogue with Muslim/Waqp leadership with the help of the State Government, if need be.