Mappila Muslim Culture: How a Historic Muslim Community in India Has Blended Tradition and Modernity

by Roland E. Miller

Overview

This book provides a comprehensive account of the distinct culture of the Mappila Muslims, a large community from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Although they were the first Muslim community in South Asia, the Mappilas are little-known in the West. Roland E. Miller explores the Mappilas' fourteen-century-long history of social adaptation and their current status as a successful example of Muslim interaction with modernity. Once feared, now admired, Kerala's Mappilas have produced an intellectual renaissance and renewed their ancient status as a model of social harmony. Miller provides an account of Mappila history and looks at the formation of Mappila culture, which has developed through the interaction of Islamic and Malayali influences. Descriptions of current day life cycles, religion, ritual, work life, education, and leadership are included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438456027
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	04/27/2015
Series:	SUNY series in Religious Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	456
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Roland E. Miller is Professor Emeritus of Islam and World Religions at Luther College, University of Regina, and Professor Emeritus at Luther Seminary, Minnesota. He is the author of Muslims and the Gospel: Bridging the Gap: A Reflection on Christian Sharing and Mappila Muslims of Kerala: A Study in Islamic Trends.

Table of Contents

Preface
A Note on Foreign Terms and Style

Part I. The Becoming of Mappila Muslim Culture: A Remarkable Development and a Symbol of Hope

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’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

Part II. The Being of Mappila Muslim Culture: A Profile of Changing Customs and Notable Achievements

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 Political Alignments
The Mappila Theological Factions
The Community’s Decision-Making Process

photo gallery follows page 232

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 Island (Lakshwadeep)

Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index