Muslims duty-bound to fight autocracy: Imam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Islam, unlike the impression created by the West, stands against terrorism, Palayam Imam Jamaludeen Mankada said while delivering the Id Gah message here on Monday.Leading the special prayers to mark Bakrid at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, the Imam accused Western imperialists of creating the impression that all of Islam advocated terrorism.  The Muslim community was duty-bound, more than any other society, to fight the ill-effects of autocracy, he said.Mankind should strive to free itself from the clutches of millionaire-spiritual vendors, Jamaludeen Mankada said. Contemporary society was enslaved by wrong notions of spirituality despite having the advantages of an advanced scientific society.Mankada said that the overturning of despots in countries like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya has launched the Islamic world into a new age. These changes will in turn create new histories in the rest of the world also, he said. Bakrid, the festival of sacrifice, rekindles the memory of Ibrahim, who was prepared to sacrifice his son Ismail in obedience of God, he said. Hundreds assembled at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, the main venue, for special prayers on Monday morning. Other mosques also arranged prayer sessions.