maritime activities economy and social customs of the muslims of ...

standard and fell to the English attack. Their naval power also decllned and the number
ofwwb in thdr porreuion ducad considerably. Their ships became outdatd. Tklr
factoy buildings ruined. They delivered Pulicat to the British on 16th July 1795 under an
agreement. Their influence and the quantum of trade fell by the first quarter of the nineteenth
cenhuy. FLnally, the British took over in 1825, all the Dutch settlements in India.
Thus a brlef account of events as discussed above from the enty to the exit of the
Dutch in Commandel will go to show that their commercial activities were closely linked to
the poMcs and economy of the region. The economic strength and superior naval power
gave them ascendancy. In the fluid political condition, the st~ggling weak local powers
were ready to align with any foreign power. Further the local ~lers never hesitated to
sacrifice the interest of thgir own subjects who were in maritime trade and allied activities.
The maritime zones In Coromandel became Europeans zones, because of the policy
followed by the local powers for their survival. It will be seen throughout their
presence on the coast for over two hundred years, along with other European colonial
powers, the Dutch enrlched themselves with local political sanctions, at the cost of
the traditional maritime community in which the Muslims were worst hit.
The Dutch also inherited the deep seated suspicion over the Muslims like the
Portuguese. But their religious policy towards the Muslims was not so harsh as that of
the Pohqtme. How~ler, +he the wanwanted to ehhate the M h wiw were not helpful for theh
armmerd$ schemes. To overcome the competition of the Muslim in trade, they imposed
many restrictions.
The policy of the Dutch in Ceylon towards the Muslims, also holds good for South
Indian Coasts partlcukrly to the Coromandel. The Batavia council had instructed the governor
in Colombo to prohibit the rent and lease of land to the Muslims and no government work
was to be entrusted to them. Further, no permission was to be granted to Muslim traffic by
sea and those who migrated from other places were to be diverted from Ceylon. This was
intend* to apply to those Muslims who are called Cholias ( Coromandel Muslims but not
to Bengal and Hindustani Muslim. Thus they singled out the Coromandel Muslims.lQ3