Kerala used to be known for 100 percent literacy and over all development, leaving other states far behind. Since 1990s Kerala erred and picked up many things which turned to be adverse and dangerous. Hadiya case has been propagated by left-liberals as a violation of individual liberty. It is not like any other girl who fell in love with a male of other religion through the web of social media and got married. The script seemed out of a Hindi movie.  It was properly planned and plotted by a group of people who are involved conversion. The burqa revolution and symptoms of Arab culture spanning in the northern districts of Kerala are a wake up call. ABVP took this issue seriously and staged a strong protest in Kerala. Top officials of ABVP including Sunil Ambekar, National Secretary of ABVP played a key role in highlighting agenda which was not published in the public domain. 

Modernity and Islamic Radicalization

The NIA has proven the facts that there was an attempt by the group of people who were systematically involved in shaping the mind of the girl. Post-Independence India has a unique conceptualization of modernity. The marriage of a Hindu girl with Muslim boy was considered a great leap of modernity. The Nehruvian socialist in the name of secularism corroborated this on campuses. To a large extent, the divisive agenda worked. It was more systematic because Kerala was under the political system of Left or the Congress combined. The change of political system at the center took it seriously. The issue was picked up by RSS. Many leaders of the organization went to Northern parts of Kerala and highlighted the matter with the Home Ministry. Ultimately the ISIS recruitments and radicalization caught the attention of the nation. Therefore, there are many factors which proved the fact that Kerala, especially Northern part of Kerala is radicalized. 

Factors of Radicalization in Kerala

Kerala is not a poor state. Its economy is much better despite the mushrooming of Islamic organizations narrate a different story. Youth of Kerala have been migrating to Gulf and other Islamic countries. Many of them move to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Gulf countries. The funds from Saudi Arabia started flowing in. The funds were systematically used to wean the minds of youth. Over period of time some of the northern districts of Kerala adapted the lifestyles of Arab. Girls started wearing Arab dress code with burqa. Schools and colleges mushroomed with bearded males. TV evangelists like Zakir Naik became the most popular figure in the state. These were the early signals of radicalization of a state which was doing much better than any state. In all cases, Muslim youths are radicalized by the educated class of Muslims such as Islamic clerics, Islamist editors, and mosque leaders. Hindu and Christians cannot open their shops during Ramzan. Charitable and black money is entering Kerala in a major way, and mosques and churches are receiving lots of it. All NGOs of Islamists in northern Kerala are rich and powerful charitable organizations have links with political parties. They enjoy influences and power over them. Popular Front of India, (PFI) has been taking over control of mosques and some Muslims under its umbrella.

Historical Factors of Radicalization: Demolition of Babri Masjid

The teaching of history in India is tilted towards the Nehruvian ideology. The attempt was to dilute the Hindu Culture and its well-structured value system. On the name of liberal thought Indian treasure of identity was distorted in favor of Muslim heroes. There are many examples which were placed in syllabi to train the young minds of India. Such was the saga of Tipu Sultan. Attack by Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan were turning points in radicalization of Kerala Muslims. The recent debate on Padmavati proved this fact how the history has distorted the image of Hindu culture. The demolition of Babri Masjid led to a spree of initiatives in Kerala to sharpen Islamic radicalization.

Radicalization through Organizations

The Mujahid movement preaches a puritan version of Islam and opposes Sufi practices. It is from their corpus of ideas that grew the radical Islamist group National Development Front (NFD), now known as PFI which has roots in the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) a banned militant group which seceded from the Jamaat-e-Islami. By 1980 the Kerala branch of SIMI had declared slogans such as destroy nationalism, reinstate caliphate. Newspapers like Madhyamam, which is published by the Jammat-e-Islami, are radicalizing Muslim youngsters. Radicalization is defined to establish Islamic state. They create hate wave against the Hindu culture. There is an attempt to wean away Muslim youngster from local society.

Cocktail of Communists and Jihadis

Marxists are also rationalizing Islamic extremism. Marxism thrives on poverty. But Kerala is not poor. In Muslim dominated regions like Kozhikode, Malappuram and Kasargod, there is sign of Arabian culture percolating down. Keralite restaurants advertise Arabic foods. Black Burqa especially Saudi version is also a major concern. Northern Kerala looks like a mini-Pakistan. Dattatreya Hosabale of Sahsanghchalak of RSS said, “There is definitely some nexus between Jihadi terrorists operating in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala and the Communist Party of India (Marxisit) cadres”. The same logic was endorsed by an historian. Tarek Fatah, author of Pakistan-origin, said “The alliance between Islamist and Leftists-Sharia’h-Bolshevism is a dangerous threat to free speech and democracy”. What needs to be added here is that the nexus between the radicals Islamists is not only limited to the southern States or in India, but it is a global event. In almost every country, radical Islamists are not only forming an alliance with the communists but are also being comrades de guerre in a fight against the common enemies. The attempt to form unity and alliance between the communists and the Islamists in India is not something new.

Moreover, in 1957, Kerala became the first state in India to choose a communist government. Second it has substantial Muslim population. Third Kerala is one of the leading states for workers migration to the Gulf countries following oil crisis of 1973 and they shares a special bond with west Asia and also get influences with its economic, social or political development easily. Every third house of Kerala has a person working in the Gulf and remittances constitute almost 35 per cent of Kerala’s Gross State domestic product.

Its Political Implications

There are the reports of Maoists joining hands with Jihadis. The experiment of alliances between CPI (M) and the Jihadis in Kerala succeed in forming a counter against the nationalist forces, its impact will be disastrous not only for India but for the entire world. The outfits have links with the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Hizbul Mujahedeen. Saudi Arabia pledging 2.5 million Saudi Riyal to Islamic Mission Trust, Malappuram in Kerala, which was registered with the MHA. Funding from radical organizations in Gulf countries has never been addressed in Kerala by the state or previous central governments.

PFI has network with National Development Front (Kerala), Manitha Neethi Pasarai (Tamil Nadu), Karnatka Forum for dignity (Karnatka), and all organizations with radical ideology. There are many other organizations splashed in other states like Peace Educational Foundation (Kerala), Jamait ul Muflihaat (Hyderabad), Discover Islam Education Trust (Bengaluru), Tauheed Educational Trust (Bihar), Islamic Research and Dawah Centre (Mumbai), Islamic Information Centre (Mumbai) have emerged during the last few years, which have provided direct access to indoctrination materials.

Conclusion

The communist regime in Kerala has expanded the radicalization to a large extent. That is why Sunil Ambekar, National General Secretary of ABVP and thinker said“ I would like to tell the comrades here that at least learn from your counterparts in China, Russia and Nepal they are doing something for their country and they are not like you.”  Sunil Ambekar words are true. Indian polity has been facing the tremendous challenge from cocktail of Jihadis and Communist. If Kerala is not reined in, India will have to face multiple challenges concerning the national security.