In an incident that created a public uproar in Kerala, two teachers of a private school in Thrissur reportedly sent voice notes to the parents of their Muslim students, reminding them that their children should not be encouraged to take part in the Onam celebrations since it is a non-Islamic festivity. Since the issue came to light, the two teachers were suspended from the school and a probe has been launched.
A teacher of the Sirajul Uloom English School, in Thrissur's Kallumpuram, told the parents of Muslim students in an audio message that since Onam is a festival of another faith, Muslims should neither participate nor encourage it. Therefore, students need not celebrate Onam in the school like last year. The teacher reportedly claimed that Muslims should hold Islamic virtues close and thus Onam should not be celebrated.
After the audio clip was leaked, DYFI, the youth wing of Kerala's ruling CPI(M), filed a police complaint and an investigation is going on. Meanwhile, the Sirajul Uloom school authorities distanced themselves from the teachers' statements and confirmed that the institution will celebrate Onam in all its colour and panache as it always has. In an official release, the school clarified that the contents of the viral audio clip were the teacher's personal opinion and that they have been suspended pending an enquiry, Malayalam media reports said.
DYFI's police complaint stated that the messages were sent on WhatsApp, claiming that Muslim children participating in Onam celebrations was 'shirk' (the gravest and most unforgivable sin in Islam) with the intention of inciting communal tensions. DYFI claimed that such people are unworthy of being in the teaching profession and should not be allowed to continue at the school.