The
Muslim Youth League (MYL) was established on
3 August 1973 The organisation was created to engage young Muslims and other minority youth in political activism, community service, and democratic participation under the broader ideological framework of the IUML, which emphasises secularism, democracy and communal harmony. MYL’s early purpose was to mobilise youth support for the IUML’s goals of constitutional rights, social justice, and political inclusion. across constituencies.
Bhasha Samaram (1980 Language Struggle) In
1980, the Muslim Youth League (MYL) played a central role in the
Bhasha Samaram (“Language Struggle”), a mass protest movement in Kerala against the state government’s proposed changes to language education policies that were seen as detrimental to Arabic, Urdu and other second languages in schools. The protests were sparked by the
Kerala Education Rule (KER) introduced by the
E. K. Nayanar-led government, which altered the status of second languages such as Arabic, Urdu and Sanskrit in government schools and was perceived to threaten the employment of teachers and the
linguistic rights of minority communities. On
30 July 1980, tens of thousands of protesters, including student activists from the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and members of the MYL, participated in peaceful marches toward district collectorates across Kerala. In
Malappuram, police opened fire on the demonstrators during a march to the collectorate at Munduparamba, resulting in the martyrdom of three young MYL activists —
Majeed (24),
Rahman (21) and
Kunhippa (21) — and injuring many others. The violent confrontation and fatalities triggered widespread outrage and intensified the movement. The MYL and allied organisations continued to press for the repeal of the contested language policy, which was eventually withdrawn by the state government under political pressure. The Bhasha Samaram is retrospectively regarded by community organisations as a pivotal moment in the struggle to protect linguistic and cultural rights in Kerala, particularly for the state’s Muslim minority. == MYL Leadership ==