Adv. Najma Thabsheera, leader of the Kerala Muslim Youth League (the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League, IUML), faced backlash on April 17 over Vishu greetings she shared on social media. She is the Perinthalmanna Block Panchayat president and the national secretary of the Muslim Youth League. A video she posted on Vishu drew sharp criticism from several people, including a section of social media activists. Some Muslim League leaders accused her of deviating from “Muslim League and Muslim traditions,” while the criticism ranged from political to communal in nature.
Adv. Najma has reportedly alleged that many of the hate accounts were linked to extremist Islamic groups. She said no one could intimidate her and told a morning daily that this was not the first time she had faced cyberbullying from such groups. She maintained that there was nothing wrong in the video. She explained that she had visited the temple town of Kalpathy in Palakkad on Vishu day.
While travelling with her family, they stopped there for coffee and saw families celebrating Vishu. They were invited to burst crackers and to visit homes to see the ‘Vishukani’. She said she and her son were seen viewing the ‘Vishukani’, which may have triggered the reactions. However, she added that she was not concerned about such responses when she shot and shared the video.
Watch the Video Here..
https://www.facebook.com/reel/818918197919903
Referring to criticism from within the Muslim League, Adv. Najma said only a small group of party members were upset. She added that several Muslim League leaders, including senior leader P.K. Kunhalikutty, had extended Vishu greetings and accepted “Vishu Kaineettam,” the tradition of elders gifting money to children on Vishu day.
She said there was nothing wrong in participating in such celebrations, like any other Malayali. She noted that there is always a small section in every group that opposes such moves. She claimed that many Muslim League workers supported her in the comments. She stated that after posting the video on Facebook and Instagram, she got busy with work.
When she checked an hour later, Instagram was filled with positive and affectionate responses, while Facebook saw a flood of hate. Some users lectured her on Islamic values, others questioned her integrity as a Muslim League member, and several posts criticised her, with pro-Left pages appearing to celebrate the cyber attack. She reiterated that many of these “hate” accounts were linked to extremist groups but said she would not be intimidated.
The issue has sparked a wider online debate on faith, identity, and cultural participation within the IUML. A review of the comments directed at Adv. Najma shows that a section of critics is unwilling to accept cultural participation across faiths. Some users claimed that Muslims have only two festivals—Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha—while others questioned why she wished Vishu greetings, arguing it was not a common festival of Kerala. Another accused her of “following the RSS line.”
The controversy raises a broader question: what is wrong in respecting or participating in the festivals of other faiths while remaining rooted in one’s own beliefs? Across the country, Hindus often take part in Iftar gatherings, and in Kerala, such events are sometimes organised by Hindus in professional spaces. Similarly, Christmas is widely celebrated across communities.
The cyber-attack on Najma can be seen as an attempt to deepen religious divides. In Kerala, state-controlled and aided schools provide extended Friday intervals—from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm—to enable Muslim staff and students to attend prayers, with adjusted working hours. There are also provisions for Friday holidays and working Saturdays in Muslim-majority schools, yet these practices have not triggered communal tensions among Hindus and Christians.
People now hope that Adv. Najma will take a firm stand and ignore the cyber-attacks in the interest of communal harmony.
