Mappila Muslim Culture , livre ebook

Mappila Muslim Culture
SUNY series in Religious Studies

Harold Coward, editor
Mappila Muslim Culture
How a Historic Muslim Community in India Has Blended Tradition and Modernity
Roland E. Miller
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2015 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
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Production, Eileen Nizer
Marketing, Michael Campochiaro
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Roland E.
Mappila Muslim culture : how a historic Muslim community in India has blended tradition and modernity / Roland E. Miller.
pages cm. — (SUNY series in religious studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5601-0 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4384-5602-7 (e-book)
1. Moplahs—History. 2. Kerala (India)—History. I. Title. DS432.M65M538 2015 305.6'97095483—dc23 2014027725
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my Mappila friends, with respect and gratitude …
Contents
Preface
A Note on Foreign Terms and Style
P ART I T HE B ECOMING OF M APPILA M USLIM C ULTURE : A R EMARKABLE D EVELOPMENT AND A S YMBOL OF H OPE
1 The Mappilas and Their Composite Culture Setting
Mappila Identity
The Malayalam Cultural Setting
The Islamic Cultural Setting
2 The Emergence of the Mappila People and Their Culture
The Historical Shaping
The Cultural Legacy
3 The Issue of a Possible Indo-Muslim Influence on Mappila Culture
Two Language Worlds
Developmental Contrasts and Sporadic Culture Contacts
The European Cultural Intrusion and Its Connecting Role
Indo-Muslim Influences on the Mappilas: A Summary
4 The Four Pillars of Mappila Traditionalism
The Pillar of Arabic
The Pillar of the Qur ʾ an
Traditionalist Religious Education
Traditionalist Clergy and Their Training
5 The Great Transition in Mappila Culture: Four Change Factors
Theological Reform
The Impact of Communism
Modern Secular Education
The Impact of Gulf Money and Gulf Custom
Conclusion
6 Mappila Character and Personality Today
Mythical Elements in the Mappila Image
The Mappila Character and Personality
The Sense of Being Mappila
P ART II T HE B EING OF M APPILA M USLIM C ULTURE : A P ROFILE OF C HANGING C USTOMS AND N OTABLE A CHIEVEMENTS
7 Key Life Moments: Birth, Marriage, Death
Pregnancy, Birth, and Early Childhood
Family Planning
Marriage
Divorce: The Practices and the Problem
Old Age and Death
8 Family Custom: Home Life, Interrelationships, Inheritance
The Mappila Home and Its Rhythm of Life
Mutual Interrelations within the Family
The Mappila Inheritance Pattern
The Marumakkathāyam or Matrilineal Tradition
9 Aspects of Personal Behavior
Mappila Occupations
Mappila Dress and Ornamentation
Mappila Food
Cleanliness, Pollution, and Sanitation
Tabus: Stimulants and Extramarital Behavior
Pleasures and Role Models
10 The Landscape of Mappila Social Behavior: Group Distinctions, Educational Variety, Political Alignments, Theological Factions, Decision Making
Group Distinctions: Arab Descent, Caste-Like Clans, Class Features
Current Educational Profile
Mappila Political Alignments
The Mappila Theological Factions
The Community’s Decision-Making Process
photo gallery
11 Social Behavior (cont’d): Leadership and Some Selected Leaders, Community Service, Community Relations
Mappila Leadership Resources and Representative Leaders
Mappila Social Service and Trusts
Mappila Relations with Non-Muslims
12 Religious Rituals and Festivals: Saints and Superstition
The Prescribed Rituals
Major and Minor Festivals
The Mappila Respect for Saints
The Celebration of the Saints
Superstition and Magic
13 Mappila Artistic Expression: Mosque Architecture, Embellished Houses, the Material Arts, Song, and Dance
Mosque Architecture
Embellished Homes
The Material Arts
Mappila Music: Song, Instruments, and Dance
14 Mappila Literature
Malayalam Literature Is Born: Mappilas Remain Aloof
Arabic Literature and the Mappilas: An Unfulfilled Vision
Arabic-Malayalam Literature: A Synthetic Medium
Literature in Malayalam Enters the Cultural Scene
Mappila Journals and Newspapers
Mappila Novelists in Malayalam: A Cultural Wave
Mappila Nonfiction Writers
Mappila Poetry
Conclusion: The Significance of Mappila Culture
A Resource for Wider Cultural Understanding
The Implication That a Cultural Renaissance Is Possible
The Importance of Determined Behavioral Change
Appendix A: Islamic and Malayalam Terms for Culture
Appendix B: The Ali Raja Kingdom in Kannur
Appendix C: The Origins of Traditionalism in the Islamic Heartlands and Its Structure
Appendix D: The Nizamiyya Syllabus
Appendix E: Mappila Culture on the Laccadive Islands (Lakshwadeep)
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Preface
This book examines the thinking and acting of the Mappila Muslims of Kerala within their religious and social context. In an earlier study of Mappila history and theology 1 I could only give passing attention to this intriguing community’s cultural phenomena. I hope that this volume will serve to make up that deficiency.
Certain cultural achievements rise like mountains out of the plains. The considerable size of the Mappila community and its distinctive social experience are enough to make it inherently important, but its cultural implications go farther. Whether it be their adaptive spirit, their capacity to change behavior patterns, or their refreshing attitude toward interreligious harmony, Mappilas and their culture have a significance beyond their boundaries. They have struggled through serious difficulties to make a successful social adaptation. It needs no saying that such symbols of cultural progress have a special importance in our contemporary world.
There are many definitions of “culture.” I take it in the broad sense of learned and cultivated behavior. In that perspective, few societies have had such a long and radical experience with culture change as the Mappilas, and in describing their ideas and practices I will emphasize that aspect of their story. Two scholarly opinions are relevant to this approach. The noted French Muslim philosopher, Muhammad Arkoun, maintains that in dealing with the wide range of Muslim societies we need “a reflective history of culture” in addition to purely descriptive studies. 2 In a similar vein, from his social science point of view, G. O. Lang writes: 3

Older views in the study of culture change tended to focus on cultural elements themselves. The emphasis has shifted to the study of changing relationships between elements, change between groups of individuals sharing a common or different culture, change between elements of a society and adjustments of individual personalities to their changing cultures.
In this work I deal with Mappila culture in two major parts which I call the Becoming and the Being of the Mappilas. The first six chapters outline how they arrived at the present moment. What accounts for their quite striking cultural blend? In the succeeding eight chapters I describe the current customs and accomplishments of the Mappilas in key areas; in almost all of them the factor of change has become a crucial element. Bearing in mind the length and breadth of the Mappila experience I have used the tradition of clear divisions to make the material easily usable, but at the same time I have also attempted to personalize the description as much as possible.
No writer on a people’s culture can feel completely satisfied with his or her presentation. The topic is inherently broad and perceptions vary widely among individual members of the Mappila community. Moreover, there are also many academic disciplines and methodologies dedicated to the task of investigating religio-social cultures in their various aspects, and each has a role to play in the full study of Muslim societies grounded on the principle of a unified life under divine guidance. In addition to the methods of Islamic studies and religious studies I am also indebted to the approach of social sciences. In what follows I have tried to present Mappila culture with reasonable accuracy, some understanding and relative completeness, but I must beg the forbearance of my Mappila friends where they feel undue lack in the materials or any unintended misrepresentation.
I could not have reached this goal without the support of many individuals. They include the Mappila advisors mentioned in the text and notes, and countless other friends too numerous to mention—the happy result of many years spent in Malabar. Fellow scholars and students have remained warm in their encouragement over a long period. My wife Mary Helen gave me steady companionship and aid; she and my son Michael also provided helpful photos. The editors and staff at SUNY Press, and their reviewers, gave valuable assistance. I sincerely thank all of them. To God I am very grateful for the strength and time to complete this formidable but personally satisfying task.
Roland E. Miller Ottawa, Canada 2014
A Note on Foreign Terms and Style
This volume is prepared for the general public, but a limited number of Malayalam and Arabic terms have been introduced where necessary. Arabic terms are part and parcel of customary Mappila usage, while Malayalam terms arise naturally from the culture context. Each term is explained the first time used, and its meaning is later repeated in the glossary. Both the terms Malayalam and Malayali may be used as nouns or a