At a time when polarisation between the Hindu and Muslim communities across India has increased, a Catholic bishop in Kerala has set off a new controversy by alleging that Muslim communities are waging a “narcotics jihad”.
On 9 September, Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt of the Pala, Kottayam district alleged that the Muslim community is endangering youth belonging to other religions, especially the Christian youth, by luring them into Islam using drugs.
These drugs, according to the Bishop, are allegedly used in ice cream parlours, juice corners, and hotels, which are run by “hardcore jihadist” and that drugs are being used as a “weapon to spoil non-Muslims”.
Not surprisingly, the comments also set off alarm bells across the Christian community in the state, with other bishops and nuns, several Islamist groups, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and the Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan condemning the Bishop’s comments.