From Kerala to Islamabad (A Journey of Nine Decades)
Muhammad Tariq July 31, 2006
#17 Posted by puyu on August 1, 2006 2:15:51 pm
#9
Tamilnadu has been peaceul on the whole but the extremist networks have made inroads in the state. 33 people were killed in a seies of bomb blasts in Coimbatore in February 1998. The blasts were planned to coincide with a BJP campaign rally and by some accounts targeted L K Adwani. The group responsible Al-Umma, was supported by groups across the border in Kerala. The JAyalalitha govt. which came to power after the 98 polls had claimed to have crushed all the terror cells in the state.But some people were arrested and explosives seized in Coimbatore after the recent Mumbai blasts establishing that the roots were deeper.
So while Kerala and Tamilnadu has been exempt from the communal politics until recently, things have taken a turn for the worse.
Tamilnadu has been peaceul on the whole but the extremist networks have made inroads in the state. 33 people were killed in a seies of bomb blasts in Coimbatore in February 1998. The blasts were planned to coincide with a BJP campaign rally and by some accounts targeted L K Adwani. The group responsible Al-Umma, was supported by groups across the border in Kerala. The JAyalalitha govt. which came to power after the 98 polls had claimed to have crushed all the terror cells in the state.But some people were arrested and explosives seized in Coimbatore after the recent Mumbai blasts establishing that the roots were deeper.
So while Kerala and Tamilnadu has been exempt from the communal politics until recently, things have taken a turn for the worse.
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#18 Posted by puyu on August 1, 2006 2:16:05 pm
#9
Tamilnadu has been peaceul on the whole but the extremist networks have made inroads in the state. 33 people were killed in a seies of bomb blasts in Coimbatore in February 1998. The blasts were planned to coincide with a BJP campaign rally and by some accounts targeted L K Adwani. The group responsible Al-Umma, was supported by groups across the border in Kerala. The JAyalalitha govt. which came to power after the 98 polls had claimed to have crushed all the terror cells in the state.But some people were arrested and explosives seized in Coimbatore after the recent Mumbai blasts establishing that the roots were deeper.
So while Kerala and Tamilnadu has been exempt from the communal politics until recently, things have taken a turn for the worse.
Tamilnadu has been peaceul on the whole but the extremist networks have made inroads in the state. 33 people were killed in a seies of bomb blasts in Coimbatore in February 1998. The blasts were planned to coincide with a BJP campaign rally and by some accounts targeted L K Adwani. The group responsible Al-Umma, was supported by groups across the border in Kerala. The JAyalalitha govt. which came to power after the 98 polls had claimed to have crushed all the terror cells in the state.But some people were arrested and explosives seized in Coimbatore after the recent Mumbai blasts establishing that the roots were deeper.
So while Kerala and Tamilnadu has been exempt from the communal politics until recently, things have taken a turn for the worse.
#19 Posted by puyu on August 1, 2006 2:34:41 pm
The growth of Islamic extremism in Tamilnadu more or less coincided with Jayalalitha`s dalliance with hindutva forces. But its their growth in Kerala which has been surprising. The Muslim community in the state has been progressive and had an assured place in the mainstream society. Indian Union Muslim League was a secular platform for the community and there were several other institutions working towards the empowerment of Muslims. Whenever the right wing UDF has been in power the muslim league has enjoyed a disproportionate share of power. Most of the times the party used it positively to gain more education and rights for the community. Apart from this Kerala has remained out of bounds for the hindutva brigade who has always been shunned by the electorate. Though the RSS has a presence in some of the towns ,it has remained on the fringes. Despite all this Kerala has witnessed a spurt of growth in the activities of radical islamic groups. The dynamics of this phenomenon is to be explored.
#20 Posted by harimau on August 1, 2006 4:38:55 pm
Ref puyu #19
[The growth of Islamic extremism in Tamilnadu more or less coincided with Jayalalitha`s dalliance with hindutva forces.]
Jayalalitha`s dalliance, as you call it, with the BJP lasted about three months just prior to the last parliamentary election. As soon as the alliance lost the election, she said the alliance was off. She did not ally herself with the BJP during the recent statewide elections.
Actually, it has everything to do with the fact that Saudi Arabia offers jobs to those who convert to Islam. A few converts go to Saudi Arabia, come back indoctrinated, and start making noises. I think the Muslims of Tamil Nadu should keep it up. The Thevars and Nadars don`t put up with too much shit and what with the Doctor Artist Leader Chief Minister (to list out all his titles) the Fund of Compassion in power and letting most of the goondas loose, we can expect to see a backlash after a while. The frikking Muslims are dumber than a pile of shit. It has something to do with Saudi indoctrination.
[But its their growth in Kerala which has been surprising. The Muslim community in the state has been progressive and had an assured place in the mainstream society. Indian Union Muslim League was a secular platform for the community and there were several other institutions working towards the empowerment of Muslims. Whenever the right wing UDF has been in power the muslim league has enjoyed a disproportionate share of power. Most of the times the party used it positively to gain more education and rights for the community. Apart from this Kerala has remained out of bounds for the hindutva brigade who has always been shunned by the electorate. Though the RSS has a presence in some of the towns ,it has remained on the fringes. Despite all this Kerala has witnessed a spurt of growth in the activities of radical islamic groups. The dynamics of this phenomenon is to be explored.]
What empowerment do these fcukers need? They are in the majority in Malabar (the northern third of the state), control that part, participate in the state cabinet as ministers, get elected to the Parliament, etc. The real problem is that after they return from Saudi Arabia, their daughters are forced to wear the hijab. There are more hijab wearing schoolgirls in Calicut than I have ever seen before. And mosques everywhere, as if they didn`t have any place to pray in. It is all a question of one-upmanship among the Gulf returnees. What they are going for is radical Islamism a la Saudi Arabia. What the government needs to do is to shut down the new mosques and madrassahs, tear the hijab off the children and tell then to stop being Arab wannabe`s. A few well-placed kicks in the ass should move them along nicely. Any Muslim asking for a visa to Saudi Arabia should be prevented from returning to India and told to find himself a place among the Ummah.
[The growth of Islamic extremism in Tamilnadu more or less coincided with Jayalalitha`s dalliance with hindutva forces.]
Jayalalitha`s dalliance, as you call it, with the BJP lasted about three months just prior to the last parliamentary election. As soon as the alliance lost the election, she said the alliance was off. She did not ally herself with the BJP during the recent statewide elections.
Actually, it has everything to do with the fact that Saudi Arabia offers jobs to those who convert to Islam. A few converts go to Saudi Arabia, come back indoctrinated, and start making noises. I think the Muslims of Tamil Nadu should keep it up. The Thevars and Nadars don`t put up with too much shit and what with the Doctor Artist Leader Chief Minister (to list out all his titles) the Fund of Compassion in power and letting most of the goondas loose, we can expect to see a backlash after a while. The frikking Muslims are dumber than a pile of shit. It has something to do with Saudi indoctrination.
[But its their growth in Kerala which has been surprising. The Muslim community in the state has been progressive and had an assured place in the mainstream society. Indian Union Muslim League was a secular platform for the community and there were several other institutions working towards the empowerment of Muslims. Whenever the right wing UDF has been in power the muslim league has enjoyed a disproportionate share of power. Most of the times the party used it positively to gain more education and rights for the community. Apart from this Kerala has remained out of bounds for the hindutva brigade who has always been shunned by the electorate. Though the RSS has a presence in some of the towns ,it has remained on the fringes. Despite all this Kerala has witnessed a spurt of growth in the activities of radical islamic groups. The dynamics of this phenomenon is to be explored.]
What empowerment do these fcukers need? They are in the majority in Malabar (the northern third of the state), control that part, participate in the state cabinet as ministers, get elected to the Parliament, etc. The real problem is that after they return from Saudi Arabia, their daughters are forced to wear the hijab. There are more hijab wearing schoolgirls in Calicut than I have ever seen before. And mosques everywhere, as if they didn`t have any place to pray in. It is all a question of one-upmanship among the Gulf returnees. What they are going for is radical Islamism a la Saudi Arabia. What the government needs to do is to shut down the new mosques and madrassahs, tear the hijab off the children and tell then to stop being Arab wannabe`s. A few well-placed kicks in the ass should move them along nicely. Any Muslim asking for a visa to Saudi Arabia should be prevented from returning to India and told to find himself a place among the Ummah.
#21 Posted by indikad75 on August 2, 2006 12:33:13 am
Thanks Tariq. It felt good reading this piece. I come from near about the same place (just a lil up north). I was born there but moved on owing to my father`s transfers. But we go back as and when possible. I have very fond memories of visiting Kerala as a child. Kottapuram in Kodungallur (a place very close to Kunjithai) was the place where St.Thomas first landed. This is also the location of one of the oldest of the existing Christian churches. There is a fort there too and I assume that the author is talking about the same place. The first mosque constructed in India (the Cheraman Masjid - AD 629) is just a couple of kilometers away... its steeped in history. every now and then I manage to go back to my birthplace to visit my relatives and relive my childhood days... boatrides on the backwaters, the lush green paddy fields and the ubiquitous coconut palm trees .. nostalgia rules:) it is sad that some chowkies still manage to get in their penchant for Muslim bashing on a board talking about something as uncomplicated as the idyllic backwaters of God`s own country/
~ Salil ~
~ Salil ~
#22 Posted by aquaris on August 2, 2006 4:16:06 am
actually history is Islam and Muslims in sub-continent begans in Kerala,
.....early arab trader ( One Malik ibn dinar ..?? ) ....was a regular trader , travelling between Arabia and Kerla...via Sea route...
and it is said on of the early Kings of Kerala ( one Chereman Perumal ..? )...when heard of this new Faith Islam...actually went to meet the prophet (mpuh). he took with him some pickles ....which according to some hadiths (....sorry no reference...But I will post when I find them ).... were very much liked by the Prophet...
He married ...and while returning to Kerla .... died somewhere in the present Oman...
the Cherman Masjid refered by indikad75 is infact the SECOND Jama Mosque ( a Big mosque where you conduct proper Friday Prayers )....of Islam.
and the first outside Arabia...
...
#23 Posted by harimau on August 2, 2006 6:26:57 am
Ref indikad75 #21
[....it is sad that some chowkies still manage to get in their penchant for Muslim bashing on a board talking about something as uncomplicated as the idyllic backwaters of God`s own country]
What is sad is that people like you have literally no idea of the history of ``God`s Own Country``.
So, here it is from Wikipedia:
[The Moplah rebellion was a British-Muslim and Hindu-Muslim conflict in Kerala that occurred in 1921. The reasons for the conflict are rooted in religious revivalism among the Muslim Moplahs (also known as Mappilas), disaffection with British governance, and resentment at the land owning Hindu Nair community. Events following the Khilafat movement helped organize Moplahs and gave impetus to their actions.
According to one view, the Moplah Rebellion was a result of dissatisfaction of Muslim Moplahs with the land-owning Hindu Nair community and the British administration that inevitably supported the latter. The rebellion had an Islamic fanatic flair to it, and had ramblings of ``freedom from the foreigners.``
During the early months of 1921, multiple events including the Khilafat movement and the Karachi resolution fueled the fires of rebellion. A rumour spread amongst the Moplahs that the British rule had ended and the Islamic Caliphate had been re-established at Delhi.
On Aug 20, the first incident of the rebellion occurred at Tirurangadi when the District Magistrate of Calicut with the help of troops attempted to arrest a few Moplah leaders who were in the possession of arms, resulting in clashes.
Arsonists took to the street, burning and destroying government property. The initial focus was on the British, but when the limited presence of the British was eliminated, Moplahs turned their full attention on the Hindus. One Mohommed Haji was proclaimed the Caliph of the Moplah Khilafat and flags of Islamic Caliphate were flown. Ernad and Walluvanad were declared Khilafat kingdoms.
By the end of 1921 the situation was brought back under control. The British administration raised a special quasi-military (or Armed Police) battalion, the Malabar Special Police (MSP). These police recruits were trained by the British Indian Army, and during its initial days the recruits were non-Muslims. The MSP attacked the rioters with an iron-hand, and the rioters were subdued. Another gruesome incident was the ``Wagon Tragedy``.
Arrested Muslim rioters were to be transferred to the Central Prison in Pothanur (near Coimbatore). They were bundled into a Goods/Freight wagon, and the train started its journey. At Pothanur it was found out that the jail was full to its maximum capacity, and the prisoner`s were ordered to be taken back. During this time, 66 of the 100 or so rioters had suffocated to death in the closed iron wagon.
According to official records, the government lost 43 troops with 126 wounded while the Moplahs lost 3,000 (with Moplah accounts putting the number at over 10,000).
Though this was an act of courage against British rule, it was also an act of savagery against the Hindus. Due to this, it is also considered as a jihad against all non-Muslims (Hindu and British) to impose Islamic rule in the area.
The reduction of the Moplah rebellion to only a farmers v/s landlords issue is a leftist/communist interpretation of history that gives every human conflict the colour of a class struggle -- oppressed peasants and workers revolting against the parasitic landlords and industrialists -- while refusing to recognize any other motive like religion, ethnicity or racialism.
It is important to note that the Moplah riots came just after the all-India Khilafat agitation supported by Muslim leaders and Mahatama Gandhi to avoid the elimination of the Islamic Caliphate. The Islamic caliphate was eventually abolished in 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Attaturk the dictator, strongman and father of Modern Turkey. When Attaturk did that he ``pulled out the rug`` from the whole Khilifat movement.
This offers a strong indication that a large section of the Moplahs also saw the affair as a jihad or holy war against the British.]
Idiots like you who subscribe to the Leftist theory that it was a revolt by the landless Muslims against the land-owning Hindus should answer why there was forcible conversion of Hindus during the riots. Does a land-owning Muslim automatically become a non-oppressor of the proleteriat?
This behavior by the Malabar Muslims who historically have not faced any discrimination should open the eyes of Indians. The only good Muslim is one who is neutered at birth so that he won`t be able to contribute to the growth of India`s (and the world`s) Muslim population.
And people like puyu are wondering at the radicalization of Kerala`s Muslims. It is NOT in the water, it is in The Book.
[....it is sad that some chowkies still manage to get in their penchant for Muslim bashing on a board talking about something as uncomplicated as the idyllic backwaters of God`s own country]
What is sad is that people like you have literally no idea of the history of ``God`s Own Country``.
So, here it is from Wikipedia:
[The Moplah rebellion was a British-Muslim and Hindu-Muslim conflict in Kerala that occurred in 1921. The reasons for the conflict are rooted in religious revivalism among the Muslim Moplahs (also known as Mappilas), disaffection with British governance, and resentment at the land owning Hindu Nair community. Events following the Khilafat movement helped organize Moplahs and gave impetus to their actions.
According to one view, the Moplah Rebellion was a result of dissatisfaction of Muslim Moplahs with the land-owning Hindu Nair community and the British administration that inevitably supported the latter. The rebellion had an Islamic fanatic flair to it, and had ramblings of ``freedom from the foreigners.``
During the early months of 1921, multiple events including the Khilafat movement and the Karachi resolution fueled the fires of rebellion. A rumour spread amongst the Moplahs that the British rule had ended and the Islamic Caliphate had been re-established at Delhi.
On Aug 20, the first incident of the rebellion occurred at Tirurangadi when the District Magistrate of Calicut with the help of troops attempted to arrest a few Moplah leaders who were in the possession of arms, resulting in clashes.
Arsonists took to the street, burning and destroying government property. The initial focus was on the British, but when the limited presence of the British was eliminated, Moplahs turned their full attention on the Hindus. One Mohommed Haji was proclaimed the Caliph of the Moplah Khilafat and flags of Islamic Caliphate were flown. Ernad and Walluvanad were declared Khilafat kingdoms.
By the end of 1921 the situation was brought back under control. The British administration raised a special quasi-military (or Armed Police) battalion, the Malabar Special Police (MSP). These police recruits were trained by the British Indian Army, and during its initial days the recruits were non-Muslims. The MSP attacked the rioters with an iron-hand, and the rioters were subdued. Another gruesome incident was the ``Wagon Tragedy``.
Arrested Muslim rioters were to be transferred to the Central Prison in Pothanur (near Coimbatore). They were bundled into a Goods/Freight wagon, and the train started its journey. At Pothanur it was found out that the jail was full to its maximum capacity, and the prisoner`s were ordered to be taken back. During this time, 66 of the 100 or so rioters had suffocated to death in the closed iron wagon.
According to official records, the government lost 43 troops with 126 wounded while the Moplahs lost 3,000 (with Moplah accounts putting the number at over 10,000).
Though this was an act of courage against British rule, it was also an act of savagery against the Hindus. Due to this, it is also considered as a jihad against all non-Muslims (Hindu and British) to impose Islamic rule in the area.
The reduction of the Moplah rebellion to only a farmers v/s landlords issue is a leftist/communist interpretation of history that gives every human conflict the colour of a class struggle -- oppressed peasants and workers revolting against the parasitic landlords and industrialists -- while refusing to recognize any other motive like religion, ethnicity or racialism.
It is important to note that the Moplah riots came just after the all-India Khilafat agitation supported by Muslim leaders and Mahatama Gandhi to avoid the elimination of the Islamic Caliphate. The Islamic caliphate was eventually abolished in 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Attaturk the dictator, strongman and father of Modern Turkey. When Attaturk did that he ``pulled out the rug`` from the whole Khilifat movement.
This offers a strong indication that a large section of the Moplahs also saw the affair as a jihad or holy war against the British.]
Idiots like you who subscribe to the Leftist theory that it was a revolt by the landless Muslims against the land-owning Hindus should answer why there was forcible conversion of Hindus during the riots. Does a land-owning Muslim automatically become a non-oppressor of the proleteriat?
This behavior by the Malabar Muslims who historically have not faced any discrimination should open the eyes of Indians. The only good Muslim is one who is neutered at birth so that he won`t be able to contribute to the growth of India`s (and the world`s) Muslim population.
And people like puyu are wondering at the radicalization of Kerala`s Muslims. It is NOT in the water, it is in The Book.
#24 Posted by harimau on August 2, 2006 6:32:15 am
Ref puyu #16
[A flm is being made in Malayalam on the plight of the Pakistani passport holders living under the threat of extradition.]
``The Anti-Hindu`` will give the film its highest rating. It will be sent to some foreign film festivals where it will be given an award and Pakistan will show it on PTV.
These idiots ought to be jailed for overstaying their visas, their families which sheltered them ought to be jailed as accomplices, and all should be deported to Pakistan. Since they voluntarily got Pakistani passports, they can bloody well stay and die in Pakistan.
[A flm is being made in Malayalam on the plight of the Pakistani passport holders living under the threat of extradition.]
``The Anti-Hindu`` will give the film its highest rating. It will be sent to some foreign film festivals where it will be given an award and Pakistan will show it on PTV.
These idiots ought to be jailed for overstaying their visas, their families which sheltered them ought to be jailed as accomplices, and all should be deported to Pakistan. Since they voluntarily got Pakistani passports, they can bloody well stay and die in Pakistan.
#25 Posted by indikad75 on August 2, 2006 7:04:14 am
.. and your point is? The Moplah rebellion has been beaten to death by stupid communalists like you. So if you dont want to quote a Stephen Dale, you go on to bring in a wiki link which starts of with the disclaimer (The neutrality of this article is disputed).. pretty good. For rabid thinkers like you, a good Muslim is not only one neutered at birth but better, killed at birth. But then no IM needs a certificate from characters like you. IMs will stay in India and contribute to its growth and development, alongside every single Indian, irrespective of religion, who dreams of a strong and united India. Till then you can continue hollering from the top of your roof about how bad a living Muslim is for India.
#26 Posted by muqaddam on August 2, 2006 10:25:40 am
We have a very strong esprit-de-corps among the Ordnance personnel in India. Every Corps day we have several old veterans from different lands meeting in a spirit of bonhomie. If the writer`s father were to decide that moving to Pakistan was a mistake(like most malabaris feel) and were to return to the God`s Own Country, he would yet find many of his comrades-in-arms welcoming him with open arms to the brotherhood.
#27 Posted by soysauce on August 2, 2006 2:24:39 pm
#25
Add stupid castist to that description. He was quoting wikipedia so he could sound a little more authoritative than if he simply cited a google search.
The man is a bit deranged but does provide some entertainment.
Add stupid castist to that description. He was quoting wikipedia so he could sound a little more authoritative than if he simply cited a google search.
The man is a bit deranged but does provide some entertainment.
#28 Posted by harimau on August 2, 2006 5:17:26 pm
Ref Sangilikkaruppan #27
You can`t even google, can you?
Here is something for you to chew on:
[The Report of the Enquiry Committee of the Servants of India Society stated that about 1,500 Hindus were murdered and over 20,000 were forcibly converted to Islam. The molestation and abduction of Hindu women was seemingly endless.
Dr. Annie Besant, a widely respected thinker, stated: ``They [Moplahs] murdered and plundered abundantly, and killed or drove away all Hindus who would not apostatise. Somewhere about a lakh (100,000) of people were driven from their homes with nothing but their clothes they had on, stripped of everything...Malabar has taught us what Islamic rule still means, and we do not want to see another specimen of the Khilafat Raj in India. `` ]
Here is what happened some 80 years after the original Moplah revolt.
From Rediff:
[Moplah Rebellion, Part II: Hindus massacred on Maraad Beach
May 09, 2003
The reported facts about the incident in Maraad, Kozhikode, Kerala, are as follows.
A group of Hindu fishermen sitting on the beach near a temple is attacked suddenly, without provocation or warning, by a mob of Muslims armed with swords. After a chaotic ten minutes, nine people are dead or bleeding to death on the beach. Many are seriously wounded. The attackers vanish into the night.
A cache of swords and other sharp weapons, including blood-stained ones, as well as powerful country bombs is recovered from a mosque in the vicinity.
Various politicians make soothing noises, 66 persons have been arrested in connection with the crime. A judicial inquiry has been instituted.
The dead are: Gopalan, Chandran, Santosh, Madhavan, Asghar, Dasan, Pushparaj, Krishnan, and Prajeesh. One of them had been married for just five days.
I am basing this analysis on reports in the Malayalam media (eg: www.keralakaumudi.com). I find the local media to be far more accurate and less prejudiced than the English language media in most cases.
Consider the circumstances: the attack happened on a Friday, and it was directed at those sitting near a Hindu temple. First, almost all Muslim-initiated riots in India take place on Fridays, after the faithful have heard sermons in the local mosque.
Second, killing Hindus near a Hindu temple is guaranteed to be offensive; if there is any chance of a communal riot developing, this is an excellent way of triggering it.
This was a mini-Godhra: a murderous attack on Hindus. I have no idea who was behind it, perhaps Pakistanis, or perhaps it was merely local Moplah Muslims. After all, the Moplahs of Malabar did not need any Pakistani inspiration when they launched into the terrible riots of 1921 (the Moplah Rebellion) when they, without provocation, murdered, raped, and forcibly converted thousands of Hindus, just because distant Turkey had abolished the Caliphate.
What was the objective this time? Possibly to create a communal riot along the lines of what happened in Gujarat in the wake of the Godhra massacre. Perhaps to emphasise that in Muslim-dominated Malabar, as in Bangladesh and Kashmir, it is just fine to murder Hindus. The perpetrators -- whoever they are -- are confident that there will be no consequences.
What is likely to happen? Not much. Frightened Hindus will move some place safer, and one more piece of real estate will become dar-ul Islam, land of Muslims. This has been happening in other parts of Malabar, for example Muslim-majority Malappuram district, where Hindus are leaving for less dangerous places. Yes, the famed Nehruvian Stalinist `secularism` in action, yet again.
Hindus in Kerala have declined in numbers, and this is what happens to non-Muslims when the Muslim population reaches a critical mass: decimation. When Semitic religions hold sway, they brutalise minorities. We have the examples of Muslim intolerance in Jammu & Kashmir and Christian intolerance in the Northeast. Hindus have a simple choice: convert, die or flee. And Kerala`s Hindus are running out of places to flee to. We may end up in squalid refugee camps like the Pandits.
I have observed over the years the changes in Islam in Kerala. When I was a child, the Muslims I knew were relatively non-observant; the men sported no beards or skullcaps, the women wore saris and they merely drew the pallu demurely over their heads. Today, in Malabar there are large numbers of bearded men with skullcaps and women in all-enveloping black burqas. Astonishingly, even in southern Kerala, I have seen billboards advertising `burqa fashions.`
I have also watched the growth of mosques in Kerala. In one stretch of the national highway between Kollam and Trivandrum, there are five huge mosques within the space of just one mile, and all but one have come up in the recent past, maybe ten years. You see scores of young boys with skullcaps and scores of little girls with headscarves going to the local madrassa, I imagine.
Much has happened in Kerala to bring these changes about. One is that the fragmented politics of Kerala has enabled smallish groups to wield disproportionate influence. As an example, various governments in Kerala, dependent on the support of the Muslim League, have allocated tracts of public land to it: startlingly, right in the middle of the famous Kovalam beach, there is now a large mosque on what was public property.
Furthermore, enormous amounts of Saudi and other Muslim fundamentalist money have apparently come into Kerala. A banker I know told me of crores of rupees in transfers for instance to the Guruvayoor area (which, despite the Krishna temple, is heavily Muslim). He told me that nationalised banks in India are willing to provide Islamic banking to large customers: that is, they happily pay them no interest according to Islamic law, and are therefore quite content to ask no inconvenient questions.
These inward flows have resulted in all these real-estate acquisitions and the radicalisation of Kerala`s Muslims. They otherwise have no particular reason to feel discriminated against or oppressed, for they have had more than their fair share of jobs, opportunities and other entitlements. Kerala`s Muslims certainly live better than Muslims in Pakistan, and they have done well for themselves. There are plenty of well-educated and well-employed Muslim doctors, engineers, IAS officers, lawyers, writers, teachers, etc.
If these educated and privileged Muslims turn so violently against their Hindu neighbours, there is no hope for Hindu-Muslim amity anywhere else in India. The two-nation theory has won, and Jinnah was right.
For Kerala has always treated Muslims well, and it is indeed God`s own country for them. From pre-Islamic times, Arabs came to Kerala to trade, their dhows following the monsoon winds across the Arabian Sea. Islam first came to India -- and that too, peacefully -- to Kerala, where the first mosque in India, the Cheraman mosque, apparently built in the 7th or 8th century CE, stands at the great old port of Kodungalloor (the Roman Muziris).
Muslims came as sailors, married local women and stayed on: the very word `Moplah` means `son-in-law.` The Zamorin of Calicut had Muslims in his navy, including the famous commander Kunjali Marikkar. But most Muslims in Kerala have no Arab blood, and they are the descendents of Hindus forcibly converted during Tipu Sultan`s invasion of Malabar. This alleged freedom-fighter was a fearsome jihadi: relatives of mine have family histories of fleeing from Malabar to the princely state of Cochin to avoid him. Even today `Tipu`s padayottam` (march) is remembered in the racial memory of Kerala Hindus as a catastrophe spoken of in hushed tones.
Yet, relations have generally been good between Hindus and Muslims in Kerala. So much so that at what might be the most important temple in Kerala, Sabarimala, pilgrims visit the patron deity Lord Ayyappan after paying obeisance at the shrine of his friend, the Muslim Vavar. On one of my pilgrimages to Sabarimala, I met a Muslim who was making the pilgrimage up that steep hill with his Hindu friends.
And Vaikom Mohammed Basheer was one of the most beloved Malayalam writers of the last one hundred years.
With all this, a Maraad happens. The only plausible reason for Muslim violence is sheer religious bigotry, an unreasoning jihad. It is difficult to deal with this through reason.
I wonder what the world`s reaction would have been if the situation were reversed and a Hindu mob had killed nine Muslims in front of a mosque. Surely Kuldip Nayar and Praful Bidwai would not have been thunderously silent: they would have badgered the National Human Rights Commission. The Washington Post and The New York Times, not to mention The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and the Hindu, would have indulged in en masse breastbeating about the end of civilisation in India.
But I bet, gentle reader, that this is the first time you have heard of the Maraad massacre. This I call blatant prejudice and double-standards on the part of the media. Where is the outrage? Where are the cries for justice?
Furthermore, if by some miracle, Muslim perpetrators in Maraad are brought to book, Nayar and Bidwai will bestir themselves to defend them, along with SAHMAT, Teesta Setalvad, and Shabana Azmi. I wonder why it isn`t clear to them that the human rights of the outlaw and the terrorist are not greater than the human rights of the ordinary citizen.
But I forget, Hindus are expendable. Hindus were expendable in Malabar during the Moplah Rebellion, part I; they were expendable in Hyderabad when Razakars (armed Muslim men) went on the warpath around the time of Partition. The Razakars were quelled with overwhelming force by the Indian Army.
It appears that Muslim terrorism can only be averted by brute force: appeasement and turning the other cheek do not work. The only way to prevent more Godhras is to keep Muslim terrorists in check. The question is, who dares bell the cat? If not the government, then vigilantes will take over; which is what happened in Gujarat, after all.
India needs to put down its home-grown terrorists with force, and it needs to help Pakistanis feel some pain through substantial covert action. If Indian counter-terrorism blows up a few important Pakistanis, or engineers riots against the imperial Punjabis, their taste for adventurism will diminish. Otherwise, these poor Hindus of Maraad would have died in vain, butchered in front of their place of worship.]
As to casteism, I noticed your complete absence on my board ``A Rant Against Reservations``. I knew that would happen because you have no way of refuting facts that are listed there.
The only ones who have to be ashamed of their castes are those individuals who cannot name who their father is. And frauds like you.
By the way, what is your stand on ``Silappathikaram`` that grants blanket amnesty to brahmins? Should we burn the ``Silappathikaram`` or should we put up a statue to Kannagi who demanded such blanket amnesty?
That ought to shut you up for a while.
You can`t even google, can you?
Here is something for you to chew on:
[The Report of the Enquiry Committee of the Servants of India Society stated that about 1,500 Hindus were murdered and over 20,000 were forcibly converted to Islam. The molestation and abduction of Hindu women was seemingly endless.
Dr. Annie Besant, a widely respected thinker, stated: ``They [Moplahs] murdered and plundered abundantly, and killed or drove away all Hindus who would not apostatise. Somewhere about a lakh (100,000) of people were driven from their homes with nothing but their clothes they had on, stripped of everything...Malabar has taught us what Islamic rule still means, and we do not want to see another specimen of the Khilafat Raj in India. `` ]
Here is what happened some 80 years after the original Moplah revolt.
From Rediff:
[Moplah Rebellion, Part II: Hindus massacred on Maraad Beach
May 09, 2003
The reported facts about the incident in Maraad, Kozhikode, Kerala, are as follows.
A group of Hindu fishermen sitting on the beach near a temple is attacked suddenly, without provocation or warning, by a mob of Muslims armed with swords. After a chaotic ten minutes, nine people are dead or bleeding to death on the beach. Many are seriously wounded. The attackers vanish into the night.
A cache of swords and other sharp weapons, including blood-stained ones, as well as powerful country bombs is recovered from a mosque in the vicinity.
Various politicians make soothing noises, 66 persons have been arrested in connection with the crime. A judicial inquiry has been instituted.
The dead are: Gopalan, Chandran, Santosh, Madhavan, Asghar, Dasan, Pushparaj, Krishnan, and Prajeesh. One of them had been married for just five days.
I am basing this analysis on reports in the Malayalam media (eg: www.keralakaumudi.com). I find the local media to be far more accurate and less prejudiced than the English language media in most cases.
Consider the circumstances: the attack happened on a Friday, and it was directed at those sitting near a Hindu temple. First, almost all Muslim-initiated riots in India take place on Fridays, after the faithful have heard sermons in the local mosque.
Second, killing Hindus near a Hindu temple is guaranteed to be offensive; if there is any chance of a communal riot developing, this is an excellent way of triggering it.
This was a mini-Godhra: a murderous attack on Hindus. I have no idea who was behind it, perhaps Pakistanis, or perhaps it was merely local Moplah Muslims. After all, the Moplahs of Malabar did not need any Pakistani inspiration when they launched into the terrible riots of 1921 (the Moplah Rebellion) when they, without provocation, murdered, raped, and forcibly converted thousands of Hindus, just because distant Turkey had abolished the Caliphate.
What was the objective this time? Possibly to create a communal riot along the lines of what happened in Gujarat in the wake of the Godhra massacre. Perhaps to emphasise that in Muslim-dominated Malabar, as in Bangladesh and Kashmir, it is just fine to murder Hindus. The perpetrators -- whoever they are -- are confident that there will be no consequences.
What is likely to happen? Not much. Frightened Hindus will move some place safer, and one more piece of real estate will become dar-ul Islam, land of Muslims. This has been happening in other parts of Malabar, for example Muslim-majority Malappuram district, where Hindus are leaving for less dangerous places. Yes, the famed Nehruvian Stalinist `secularism` in action, yet again.
Hindus in Kerala have declined in numbers, and this is what happens to non-Muslims when the Muslim population reaches a critical mass: decimation. When Semitic religions hold sway, they brutalise minorities. We have the examples of Muslim intolerance in Jammu & Kashmir and Christian intolerance in the Northeast. Hindus have a simple choice: convert, die or flee. And Kerala`s Hindus are running out of places to flee to. We may end up in squalid refugee camps like the Pandits.
I have observed over the years the changes in Islam in Kerala. When I was a child, the Muslims I knew were relatively non-observant; the men sported no beards or skullcaps, the women wore saris and they merely drew the pallu demurely over their heads. Today, in Malabar there are large numbers of bearded men with skullcaps and women in all-enveloping black burqas. Astonishingly, even in southern Kerala, I have seen billboards advertising `burqa fashions.`
I have also watched the growth of mosques in Kerala. In one stretch of the national highway between Kollam and Trivandrum, there are five huge mosques within the space of just one mile, and all but one have come up in the recent past, maybe ten years. You see scores of young boys with skullcaps and scores of little girls with headscarves going to the local madrassa, I imagine.
Much has happened in Kerala to bring these changes about. One is that the fragmented politics of Kerala has enabled smallish groups to wield disproportionate influence. As an example, various governments in Kerala, dependent on the support of the Muslim League, have allocated tracts of public land to it: startlingly, right in the middle of the famous Kovalam beach, there is now a large mosque on what was public property.
Furthermore, enormous amounts of Saudi and other Muslim fundamentalist money have apparently come into Kerala. A banker I know told me of crores of rupees in transfers for instance to the Guruvayoor area (which, despite the Krishna temple, is heavily Muslim). He told me that nationalised banks in India are willing to provide Islamic banking to large customers: that is, they happily pay them no interest according to Islamic law, and are therefore quite content to ask no inconvenient questions.
These inward flows have resulted in all these real-estate acquisitions and the radicalisation of Kerala`s Muslims. They otherwise have no particular reason to feel discriminated against or oppressed, for they have had more than their fair share of jobs, opportunities and other entitlements. Kerala`s Muslims certainly live better than Muslims in Pakistan, and they have done well for themselves. There are plenty of well-educated and well-employed Muslim doctors, engineers, IAS officers, lawyers, writers, teachers, etc.
If these educated and privileged Muslims turn so violently against their Hindu neighbours, there is no hope for Hindu-Muslim amity anywhere else in India. The two-nation theory has won, and Jinnah was right.
For Kerala has always treated Muslims well, and it is indeed God`s own country for them. From pre-Islamic times, Arabs came to Kerala to trade, their dhows following the monsoon winds across the Arabian Sea. Islam first came to India -- and that too, peacefully -- to Kerala, where the first mosque in India, the Cheraman mosque, apparently built in the 7th or 8th century CE, stands at the great old port of Kodungalloor (the Roman Muziris).
Muslims came as sailors, married local women and stayed on: the very word `Moplah` means `son-in-law.` The Zamorin of Calicut had Muslims in his navy, including the famous commander Kunjali Marikkar. But most Muslims in Kerala have no Arab blood, and they are the descendents of Hindus forcibly converted during Tipu Sultan`s invasion of Malabar. This alleged freedom-fighter was a fearsome jihadi: relatives of mine have family histories of fleeing from Malabar to the princely state of Cochin to avoid him. Even today `Tipu`s padayottam` (march) is remembered in the racial memory of Kerala Hindus as a catastrophe spoken of in hushed tones.
Yet, relations have generally been good between Hindus and Muslims in Kerala. So much so that at what might be the most important temple in Kerala, Sabarimala, pilgrims visit the patron deity Lord Ayyappan after paying obeisance at the shrine of his friend, the Muslim Vavar. On one of my pilgrimages to Sabarimala, I met a Muslim who was making the pilgrimage up that steep hill with his Hindu friends.
And Vaikom Mohammed Basheer was one of the most beloved Malayalam writers of the last one hundred years.
With all this, a Maraad happens. The only plausible reason for Muslim violence is sheer religious bigotry, an unreasoning jihad. It is difficult to deal with this through reason.
I wonder what the world`s reaction would have been if the situation were reversed and a Hindu mob had killed nine Muslims in front of a mosque. Surely Kuldip Nayar and Praful Bidwai would not have been thunderously silent: they would have badgered the National Human Rights Commission. The Washington Post and The New York Times, not to mention The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and the Hindu, would have indulged in en masse breastbeating about the end of civilisation in India.
But I bet, gentle reader, that this is the first time you have heard of the Maraad massacre. This I call blatant prejudice and double-standards on the part of the media. Where is the outrage? Where are the cries for justice?
Furthermore, if by some miracle, Muslim perpetrators in Maraad are brought to book, Nayar and Bidwai will bestir themselves to defend them, along with SAHMAT, Teesta Setalvad, and Shabana Azmi. I wonder why it isn`t clear to them that the human rights of the outlaw and the terrorist are not greater than the human rights of the ordinary citizen.
But I forget, Hindus are expendable. Hindus were expendable in Malabar during the Moplah Rebellion, part I; they were expendable in Hyderabad when Razakars (armed Muslim men) went on the warpath around the time of Partition. The Razakars were quelled with overwhelming force by the Indian Army.
It appears that Muslim terrorism can only be averted by brute force: appeasement and turning the other cheek do not work. The only way to prevent more Godhras is to keep Muslim terrorists in check. The question is, who dares bell the cat? If not the government, then vigilantes will take over; which is what happened in Gujarat, after all.
India needs to put down its home-grown terrorists with force, and it needs to help Pakistanis feel some pain through substantial covert action. If Indian counter-terrorism blows up a few important Pakistanis, or engineers riots against the imperial Punjabis, their taste for adventurism will diminish. Otherwise, these poor Hindus of Maraad would have died in vain, butchered in front of their place of worship.]
As to casteism, I noticed your complete absence on my board ``A Rant Against Reservations``. I knew that would happen because you have no way of refuting facts that are listed there.
The only ones who have to be ashamed of their castes are those individuals who cannot name who their father is. And frauds like you.
By the way, what is your stand on ``Silappathikaram`` that grants blanket amnesty to brahmins? Should we burn the ``Silappathikaram`` or should we put up a statue to Kannagi who demanded such blanket amnesty?
That ought to shut you up for a while.
#29 Posted by sadna on August 2, 2006 8:10:55 pm
harimau
There are Muslims in Kerala who oppose Muslim communalism- please don`t undermine them.
There are Muslims in Kerala who oppose Muslim communalism- please don`t undermine them.
#30 Posted by soysauce on August 3, 2006 9:40:15 am
harimau iyer,
So now it`s someone else`s opinion that i should chew on? I know about the moplah rebellion. There are extremist, revisionist points of view on both sides - surprise, surprise. What is interesting tho is how you generalize and damn a whole lot of people - a typical day in the life of a bigot.
Sorry you missed me on your board. I do have a life.
I`m off to madras - hope i don`t run into you there - hard ;)
So now it`s someone else`s opinion that i should chew on? I know about the moplah rebellion. There are extremist, revisionist points of view on both sides - surprise, surprise. What is interesting tho is how you generalize and damn a whole lot of people - a typical day in the life of a bigot.
Sorry you missed me on your board. I do have a life.
I`m off to madras - hope i don`t run into you there - hard ;)
#31 Posted by harimau on August 3, 2006 5:40:30 pm
Ref Sangilikkaruppan #30
[harimau iyer,
So now it`s someone else`s opinion that i should chew on?]
Well, you have been chewing on and swallowing Father Big Man`s opinions all along, so it should not be too hard.
[I know about the moplah rebellion. There are extremist, revisionist points of view on both sides - surprise, surprise.]
Is Annie Besant an extremist Hindutva-wadi?
[What is interesting tho is how you generalize and damn a whole lot of people - a typical day in the life of a bigot.]
Well, if the whole population of Malabar rose up in rebellion and killed Hindus, then one has the right to condemn the whole frikking group, don`t you think?
Oh, I am sorry. You have no thoughts of your own and are waiting for inspiration from Father Big Man.
[Sorry you missed me on your board. I do have a life.]
Nope, you just couldn`t refute any argument I presented there. Your buddy Masanamthu tried valiantly though.
[I`m off to madras - hope i don`t run into you there - hard ;)]
Not likely. I live in a gated compund to keep out the riff-raff.
[harimau iyer,
So now it`s someone else`s opinion that i should chew on?]
Well, you have been chewing on and swallowing Father Big Man`s opinions all along, so it should not be too hard.
[I know about the moplah rebellion. There are extremist, revisionist points of view on both sides - surprise, surprise.]
Is Annie Besant an extremist Hindutva-wadi?
[What is interesting tho is how you generalize and damn a whole lot of people - a typical day in the life of a bigot.]
Well, if the whole population of Malabar rose up in rebellion and killed Hindus, then one has the right to condemn the whole frikking group, don`t you think?
Oh, I am sorry. You have no thoughts of your own and are waiting for inspiration from Father Big Man.
[Sorry you missed me on your board. I do have a life.]
Nope, you just couldn`t refute any argument I presented there. Your buddy Masanamthu tried valiantly though.
[I`m off to madras - hope i don`t run into you there - hard ;)]
Not likely. I live in a gated compund to keep out the riff-raff.
#32 Posted by tariqz on August 5, 2006 10:13:53 pm
Re: # 26
The writer`s father at ninety is quite happy and content living surrounded with his children and grandchildren, and so are most of the other malyalis from his generation who opted to migrate to Pakistan at or about partition. Childhood memories and nostalgia are phenomena no normal human being can escape from. Emigration one must realize is a traumatic experience, and even those who migrate to affluent western societies cannot escape from its psychological effects
tariq
The writer`s father at ninety is quite happy and content living surrounded with his children and grandchildren, and so are most of the other malyalis from his generation who opted to migrate to Pakistan at or about partition. Childhood memories and nostalgia are phenomena no normal human being can escape from. Emigration one must realize is a traumatic experience, and even those who migrate to affluent western societies cannot escape from its psychological effects
tariq
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