Kanthapuram faction Samastha mouthpiece Siraj has launched a scathing attack on the VD Satheesan-led UDF government in Kerala over the reconstitution of the State Waqf Board, alleging that excluding both Samastha factions amounts to an insult to the Sunni community.

In an editorial, the newspaper described the decision as “deeply hurtful and insulting to the Sunnis, who constitute the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Kerala”. It alleged that the government had reneged on assurances that Samastha would receive due representation on bodies such as the Waqf Board and the Haj Committee.

The Kerala government has reconstituted the nine-member Waqf Board, appointing Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state vice-president M C Mayin Haji as chairman. The new board includes Jaseem Sabah, a leader of the Welfare Party of India (WPI), marking what has been described as the first appointment of a Jamaat-e-Islami-linked representative to the state body. The reconstitution comes amid ongoing legal proceedings before the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court.

Questioning the inclusion of representatives associated with Mujahid groups and Jamaat-e-Islami while excluding both Samastha factions, the editorial claimed that the former had no legitimate claim to a significant share of Waqf properties in the state. It said Samastha and its affiliated organisations had established and managed tens of thousands of madrassas, thousands of mosques and mahals, and hundreds of advanced religious educational institutions.

The editorial also argued that many Waqf deeds explicitly exclude groups associated with neo-Salafi ideologies, including Wahhabis, Maududis and Tablighis, from benefiting from or administering the properties. It cited religious practices such as Mawlid celebrations, devotional recitations and Quran recitations near graves as examples of activities for which some properties had been dedicated, but which certain reformist groups do not recognise.

It further alleged that some mosques and religious institutions in Kerala had been taken over from Sunnis through forged documents and political influence. The editorial cited Muhiyudheen Palli, Pattalappalli and Mugadar Palli in Kozhikode, and Darul Uloom in Vazakkad, as alleged examples, and questioned the inclusion on the board of individuals accused of administering Waqf properties contrary to their intended purposes.

Describing Waqf as a sacred trust, the editorial said the board should protect properties, prevent encroachments and ensure that their income is used for the purposes specified by the donors. It argued that the body should not become a platform for political interests or be shaped by hostility towards particular groups.

The editorial also criticised the IUML, which currently oversees the Waqf Board, saying the party should ensure fair representation for all sections of the Muslim community rather than prioritising supporters and groups aligned with its interests.

Sunni organisations, including the Kerala Muslim Jamaath and the Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS), have announced plans to challenge the decision through legal action and public protests. Mass protests are scheduled at district headquarters across Kerala on Thursday, October 22. The editorial warned of intensified agitation if the government failed to take corrective measures.