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World Cup fever upsets Muslim hardliners

Islamic hardliners in Kerala’s Malappuram district are upset that the World Cup fever is keeping away the youth from evening prayers.

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MALAPPURAM: Islamic hardliners in Kerala’s Malappuram district are upset that the World Cup fever is keeping away the youth from evening prayers. But football fans say it’s much ado over nothing.

Like elsewhere in Kerala, the magic of the World Cup in Germany has enveloped this Muslim-dominated district too. Come evening and streets get deserted as people, mainly males, crowd around television sets. There is a lot of cheering and clapping as goals are scored. On some days there are four matches to be viewed. And the games go on beyond midnight hours. In the process, many skip going to mosques for the final two prayers. And that has caused anger in Islamic circles.

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PS Thangal was among the first to raise the issue publicly. “The youths are spending a lot of time in front of TV and spending money putting up hoardings with names of countries taking part in the World Cup,” he said, while inaugurating the Quran Study Centre of the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation. “They have other things also to do (like saying their prayers).”

An incensed federation organised a protest march in Tirur, contending that “capitalist forces” were trying to make inroads into Malappuram “under the guise of football.”  A drive through Malappuram reveals the soccer fever is for real. The numerous sports clubs in the district have put up hoardings relating to their favourite teams besides flags of participating countries like Brazil, Argentina, Holland, England, France and Germany.

The passion for the game is so high that a few cinema halls are projecting the game live on the big screen instead of regular film shows.  For now, no one is paying heed to the Islamic hardliners. And Valancherry, a village in the district, has been renamed “Tornado World Cup City” for the duration of the tournament. “We respect those who have cautioned us on prayers. But this is a temporary phase that will die down once the World Cup ends,” said 23-year-old KP Saseer, a Masters student and president of Valancherry’s Tornado Arts and Sports Club.

According to PK Abdul Rabb, son of former deputy chief minister K Avukkaderkutty Naha of IUML, Muslim organisations were upset because football fever was keeping many youths from evening prayers.  K Noushad, 26, a former senior division district league football player, opined: “It is nothing more than passion for the game. There is nothing more to it. “More than 100 members watch the matches live in our club. Apart from the cheering, no untoward incident has taken place. This is the same in the other clubs too,” he added.

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