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494 MAPPILLA
The mosques of Kerala are distinctive, rectangular in shape with sloping tiled
roofs and ornamental gables in the manner of Hindu temples of the region.
The northern coastal towns of Kerala, particularly Calicut, are centers of
Mappilla trading activity. Mappilla merchants, especially petty traders and shopkeepers,
have established themselves in towns and cities throughout south India
and are represented in substantial numbers in Bombay. In earlier years, Mappilla
migrated to Burma, Malaya and Singapore, as well as to the gulf sheikhdoms
and Saudi Arabia. In the countryside of Malabar, where their numbers were
expanded by conversion, the Mappilla are less prosperous. The coastal fishermen
of Malabar are Mappilla, as are many of the poorest peasants and landless
laborers.
Politically, the Mappilla of Kerala command a pivotal position. Although both
in Congress and Communist (Marxist) parties have a degree of Muslim support,
the Mappilla majority constituencies have regularly elected Muslim League candidates
to the state assembly. In the delicate balance between opposing parties,
the league has been able to exert an influence disproportionate to its numerical
strength, and the inclusion of the Muslim League has been a vital ingredient in
the formation of stable ministerial coalitions.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Choudhary, Sukhbir. Moplah Uprising (1921-23). Delhi: Agam Prakashan, 1977.
Dale, Stephen F. Islamic Society on the South Asian Frontier: The Mappilas of Malabar,
1498-1922. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980.
D'Souza, Victor S. "Status Groups Among the Moplahs of the Southwest Coast of India."
In Caste and Social Stratification Among the Muslims, edited by Imtiaz Ahmed.
Delhi: Manohar Book Service, 1973.
Dube, Leela. Matriliny and Islam: Religion and Society in the Laccadives. Delhi: National
Publishing House, 1969.
Gough, Kathleen. "Mappilla: North Kerala." In Matrilineal Kinship, edited by David
M. Schneider and Kathleen Gough. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1961. •
Kutty, A. R. Marriage and Kinship in an Island Society (Laccadive Islands). Delhi:
Publishing House, 1972.
Mayer, Adrian. Land and Society in Malabar. Bombay: Oxford University Press, 1972.
Miller, Roland E. Mappila Muslims of Kerala: A Study in Islamic Trends. Bombay:
Orient Longman, 1976.
Woodcock, George. Kerala: A Portrait of the Malabar Coast. London: Faber & Faber,
1967.
Articles
Abdulla, V. "The Moplahs." Illustrated Weekly of India 95 (1970): 6-13.
Dale, Stephen F. "The Islamic Frontier in Southwest India: The Shahid as a Cultural