The southern State of Kerala in India illustrates a case of unfortunate polarity. It, while being the most literate state, is also home to one of the deadliest radicalizations drives that has been taking place in the country.
As far back as in 2017, the Kerala police have reported that approximately 100 individuals from Kerala have joined ISIS, however, it is likely that the actual number of recruits from the region is significantly higher. The issue of politically supported radicalization is contributing to the state’s current challenges and could lead to its downfall.
Background
Student organizations linked to politico-religious groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Kerala, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and the now-banned Popular Front have dominated mainstream discussions regarding the exposure of youth in the state to radical ideologies and sentiments. In 2023, a considerable media controversy arose following an online address by former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal at a rally hosted by the Solidarity Youth Movement (SYM), the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Kerala. The previous year, in 2022, the Muslim Students Federation of IUML staged protests against Catholic schools in the state that enforced a ban on the hijab within their premises.
It is, however, the wide network of political groups’ affiliated sports & cultural clubs operating both within Kerala and abroad; and targeting children, teens, and youths alike, which pose a serious challenge to Indian agencies’ efforts at de-radicalization and consequently counter-terrorism.
Green Star Arts and Sports Club (GSASC)
Green Star Arts and Sports Club (GSASC) is a Kerala-based youth club with local branches seeped down to the village levels. In February of this year, Green Star’s Cherumba branch hosted a sports meet wherein a pro-Palestine solidarity demonstration was conducted with ‘free-Palestine’ slogans and flags. Cherumba is a village in Kasaragod district of Kerala.
It is pertinent to note that similar events have also taken place at Greenstar’s branches in Kooliyangal, Masthigudda, Athinhal & Nhanikadavu- all areas located in Kasaragod district.
However, as has already been stated, Greenstar has branches abroad as well. Greenstar UAE even has a Facebook page.
Lightning Arts & Sports Club (LASC)
Lightning Arts & Sports Club (LASC) is another club whose Koduvally chapter witnessed a similar event this February. Members of the Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO) showcased a poster expressing solidarity with Palestine, which stated, “From river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” at the Koyappa All India Seven held in Koduvally. The Koyappa Sevens Football Tournament was founded in 1978 by the Lightning Arts & Sports Club. SIO is the student body of Jamaat e Islami Hind (JIH), Kerala.
Malarvadi Bala Sangam’ (MBS)
Apart from youth-centric entities, JIH Kerala also has an initiative ‘Malarvadi Bala Sangam’ (MBS). To quote directly from JIH-K’s official website, this body “was founded to nurture moral values, creativity, social consciousness, and effective knowledge for kids”.
K. A. Siddique Hassan -the chief architect of ‘Vision 2016’ under the aegis of JIH-K’s Human Welfare Foundation (HWF) and Assistant Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) was the brains behind ‘Malarvadi Balasangam’.
Children up to the 7th standard are eligible to be members of Malarvadi. Programs are conducted at the unit, area, district, and state levels. In addition to its initiatives in Kerala, Malarvadi also actively organizes events in various regions across the country and internationally.
While this Sangam on the surface disguises as a plain arts & cultural hub for children, a 2009 article from the ‘Arab news’ updating on an event at MBS’ Jeddah chapter offers the picture of a body cleverly pushing radical ideology into young minds.
To quote from the article itself, “A musical presentation by Nazrin Nazer, depicting the life of a Palestinian girl living abroad as a refugee and her desire to return home won the applause of the audience, mostly Indian families”.
Conclusion
As exemplified by the above examples, youth clubs in Kerala have been a ground for local politico-religious groups to push their propaganda for long. And they have evidently gained enormously from tapping into the innocent need of younger generations to engage in sports, arts, and such peer-group activities. Young impressionable minds, when exposed to radical, conservative beliefs and ideologies from an early age, understandably tend to grow with a distorted worldview; in other words, into near-about perfect subjects for subsequent full-blown radicalization & recruitment by extremist terror outfits.
Monitoring of activities of the local youth clubs is the grave need of the hour for Indian security agencies for the state of Kerala, which is already grappling with the threat posed by the Islamic State.
