Kerala Muslim League chief Thangal passes away
MALAPPURAM: Spiritual leader of Muslim community in Kerala and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) supremo Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, 74, passed away at Litle Flower Hospital in Angamali, Ernakulam district on Sunday.
Thangal, who was undergoing treatment for cancer at the hospital for some time, breathed his last around 12.30pm on Sunday, ater his health condition deteriorated.
Iu ml national general secretary pk kunh ali ku ty said that the condition of Thangal worsened by Saturday evening and the hospital authorities informed that a cardiac arrest resulted in sudden death.
IUML is the second largest ally of the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front in Kerala.
Hyderali Thangal was serving as the chairman of the IUML National Political Advisory Committee and the president of the IUML Kerala state commitee.
Apart from being the Khazi of many mosques, Thangal is also the incumbent president of the Darul Huda Islamic Academy.
He is also the Vice President of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema (EK faction), the scholar oufit of conservative Sunni Muslims.
He took over the reins of the Muslim League in August 2009 following the death of his brother Syed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal and remained in this position for 13 years. He also served as the Malappuram district president of the Muslim League for 25 years.
Born on June 15, 1947, to Syed Ahammed Pukoya Thangal and Aisha Cherukunjibeebi of Panakkad in Malappuram, Hyderali Thangal is the third son of PMSA Pookkoya Thangal and the younger brother of late Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal and Syed Umerali Shihab Thangal.
Ater schooling in 1959 at Kozhikode MM High School, he turned to religions education under Katiparuthi Kunjalan kuty Musliar, before giving himself over to deeper religious studies and came out in 1974 with Moulavi Faizi degree.
Kunhalikuty remembered that he and Thangal were brought up together along with his brothers.
Shihab Thangal was more like an elder brother to him. His support was there while taking up the responsibilities conferred by the party. Thangal family’s bond with the public was very strong. He was a poised and a calm leader just like Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal and an exemplar in religious and spiritual affairs.
The demise of Mohammedali Shihab Thangal and now Hyderali Thangal were a huge loss to the society, said the former minister.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi condoled the demise of Hyderali Shihab Thangal and described him as a strong secular voice of the United Democratic Front (UDF).