Tamil Muslim - Law and Politics

Law and Politics

In early 19th century, Munshi Abdullah's provocative essays on good governance and education reforms began to shape the modern Malaysian political system.

Sir Mohammad Usman was the most prominent among the early political leaders of the community. In 1930, Jamal Mohammad became the first Tamil Muslim president of the Madras Presidency Muslim League. Until then, the party was dominated by Urdu-speaking Muslims from the Nizamat of Hyderabad. Yakub Hasan Sait was an Urdu-speaking Gujarati Muslim who settled in Tamil Nadu and served as a minister in the Rajaji government. Allama Karim Gani, veteran Freedom Fighter and a close associate of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, who hailed from Ilayangudi, served as Information Minister in Netaji BAMA Ministry during 1930's.

Since late 20th century, politicians like Quaid E Millath (a close friend of Annadurai, former MP and leader Tamil Nadu Muslim League) and Dawood Shah advocated Tamil to be made an official language of India due to its antiquity in parliamentary debates New leaders like Daud Sharifa Khanum have been active in pioneering social reforms like independent mosques for Tamil Muslim women. MM Ismail was appointed additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 1967 and was transferred to the Madras High Court later. He became Chief Justice in 1979. On October 27, 1980 Justice MM Ismail was sworn in as acting Governor of Tamil Nadu. As Kamban Kazhagam president, he was responsible for organising literary festivals, which focussed on classical Tamil literature. In a message, the Governor, Surjit Singh Barnala, said the former Chief Justice was a legal luminary and contributed a lot to the judiciary. He evinced keen interest in Tamil literature and established the Kamban Kazhagam. Another prominent legal luminary is Justice SA Kader who was the Judge of Madras High Court from 1983 to 1989. He was held in high esteem for his quick grasp and speedy disposal of cases. On retirement, he held the office of President of the Tamil Nadu State Government Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. At present, he is a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court.

Tamil Muslim representatives such as J. M. Haroon, Abdul Rahman, Jinna, SHEIK UMAR(TUT), Khaleelur Rahman, Ubayadullah, Hussan Ali and T. P. M. Mohideen Khan are found across all major Dravidian political parties like Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), as well as the Indian National Congress (INC). Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad as well Malaysian politicians Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, Zainuddin Maidin, Anwar Ibrahim, Khairy Jamaluddin, Nor Mohamed Yakcop and Zambry Abdul Kadir too are of Tamil Muslim origins. Broadly speaking, Tamil Muslims tend to support laissez faire and free trade; and have thus been unimpressed by Communism as a public policy though fringe working class groups often call for affirmative action in the last quarter of 20th century.

Quaid-e-Millath Muhammad Ismail Sahib, the first President of Indian Union Muslim League, soon after the partition in independent India. The Tamil Muslims in India were united in a single political party under his statesmanship. Their support was inevitable for ruling parties in the state, as well as in the Centre. He was instrumental in framing and obtaining the minority status and privileges for minorities in India. His newspaper "Urimaikkural" was a very popular daily. He hailed from the Trinelvelli district of Tamil Nadu.

S.M Muhammed Sheriff, a.k.a 'Madurai Sheriff Sahib'. A charismatic and prominent Indian Union Muslim League leader groomed by Quaid-e-Millath Muhammad Ismail Sahib. He was a zealous social worker, professor, lawyer and a politician. The first elected Muslim League MP from Tamil Nadu in independent India. He played a vital role in many committees as a parliamentarian from the historic Ramanathapuram and Periyakulam Constituencies. He produced clear documentary evidences that Kachchatheevu belonged to India and spoke vehemently in Parliament that it should not be ceded to Sri Lanka and the consequences in such a turn of event. During Emergency rule in Smt. Indira Gandhi's period, he was the advisor to the Governor on the legislation of Tamil Nadu. He gave moral lectures to prisoners in jails and arranged for Jumma prayers to be conducted regularly in Madurai Central Prison. He was a close associate of Sayyid Abdur Rahman Bafaqi Thangal, C. H. Mohammed Koya, Panakkad Shihab Thangal, Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait, G.M.Banatwalla, A.K.Rifayee & Siraj-ul-Millath Abdul Sammad,and the bosom friend of Nagore E.M.Hanifa, Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed and B. S. Abdur Rahman. He was a powerful speaker in many Indian languages. As Propaganda Secretary of the IUML, he strengthened, expanded and ignited the spirit of the league from grass-root level. The most fondly remembered personality for his honesty, simplicity, philanthropy and secularism.

P. Kalifullah (1888–1950), was a politician of the Madras Presidency, British India. He served as the minister for public works in the Cabinet of Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu during April–July 1937. His father T.A. Pitchai Rowther was an affluent entrepreneur from Tiruchirapalli. He belonged to the All-India Muslim League and was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly from Tiruchirappalli in the 1937 elections. He was sympathetic to the cause of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy (Periyar) and his Self-Respect Movement. In 1937, he spoke against the introduction of compulsory Hindi classes in the Madras legislature and later participated in the anti-Hindi agitation started by Periyar. He was a lawyer by profession and was known by his honorifics as Khan Bahadur. He was also a member of the Madras Legislative Council during the early 1930s. He was the Dewan of Pudukottai after his withdrawal from political work.

In Tamil Nadu and other Indian states, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) led by Quaid-e-Millath M. Muhammad Ismail Sahib was famous among Tamil Muslims till the early 1990s. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, a feeling of insecurity gripped the community. Tamil Muslim youths swayed from general apathy, sought change to more involvement and interest in active politics. The elderly preferred the status quo and continued to support IUML. Subsequent to the events arising out of the Babri Masjid Demolition, the Indian National League was formed under the aegis of Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait who split from the Indian Union Muslim League.

In several taluks of Tamil Nadu, where the Tamil Muslims are concentrated, Indian Union Muslim League also split and the Indian National League was formed under Abdul Latheef.Indian Union Muslim League was headed by Adbus Samad. These two leaders continued to head the respective parties till their death. In Jan, 2011, the Tamil Nadu State Unit of Indian Nation League was dissolved. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the Ahle-Hadith (Ghair Muqallid) reform movements began to take the front stage movement was spearheaded by P. Jainulabdeen and consequently the organization, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazagham was constituted in 1995. This non-profit organisation quickly became popular and assertive among the Tamil Muslim working class while the Indian National League irreversibly lost its bearing. Among several bold intitiatives, the TMMK is well known for clampdowns on Meelad-un-Nabi processions, dargah trusts and sham fees, exorcisms, occult, totem, talisman, magical incantations, maulud celebrations, Al-Fatiha invocations, ancestor photography, etc. as creeping signs of bidah within the Ummah.MMK wanted to take part in active politics, the organization split due to different reasons, and the non-political arm Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamath was formed under the leadership P. Jainulabdeen. Later TMMK constituted Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) as a political party in 2009 and contested in three seats and won two Assembly seats viz. Ambur (A. Aslam Basha) and Ramanathapuram (M.H. Jawahirullah). The Tamil Muslim vote bank is not a monolithic mass. They vote for all parties (based on immediate parochial issues) like Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, AIADMK, Congress etc. MMK aims to accummulate a strong homogenous Tamil Muslim vote bank (across dozens of classes and races) to play an important collective bargaining role while seeking affirmative action. DMK tries to maintain its substantial Tamil Muslim vote bank since its founding, which was built on strong personal friendship with the Quaid-e-Millath. Various benefit schemes for Tamil Muslims like 3.5% reservation in education and government jobs, Ulema Welfare Board, and Quaid-e-Milleth memorial have been given.