KOZHIKODE: SUNNIS are the diehard orthodox groups, Mujahids the reformists and the Jama'ateIslami the intellectuals thus goes the popular notion about the Muslims in Kerala. Mujahids and Jama'at are being hailed as the 'reformists' who lifted the Kerala Muslims from the dungeon of superstition and ignorance.
But the book 'Kerala Muslim Navothanam: Punaranweshanathinte Prasakthi (Kerala Muslim Reformation: Relevance of a Reexamination), brought out by Islamic Publishing Bureau, seeks to have an irreverent relook at certain 'misconceptions' that have taken deep root in Kerala's public discourse.
The group of authors, mainly those who have lenience towards Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar, want to explode the myth that reformation in Muslim community began with the formation on Aikya Sangham in Kodungallur in 1922. Such an interpretation, they argue, would deprive the community of a rich and varied tradition that dates back to the 16th century. In the narrative of a section of Muslim and secular scholars, who are heavily influenced by the project of western modernity, the Muslims in Kerala before 1921 lacked enlightenment and modern outlook. Curiously enough, this has close affinity to the observations of the British officials, who treated Mappilas as an uncivilised lot.
The socalled reformation initiated by the Aikya Sangham after the Malabar uprisings is actually a survival tactic to escape from the severe oppression of the colonial forces, says the book. The attempt to 'modernise' the Muslims in Kerala was, in fact, an extension of 'The White Man's Burden of civilising the 'Mappila barbarians'.
"It was the uncompromising stand against westernisation that prompted the Sunnis to turn their back on English language and modernisation," says
Kasim Irikkur, who wrote the first article in the book. He goes on to add that the search for reformation among Muslims in Kerala should begin from Sheikh Zainudheen Makdhum First and Second, who exhorted the Muslims to fight against the Portuguese aggression. It is regrettable that persons like Mamburam Syed Alavi Thangal and Veliyankode Umer Qazi do not figure in the list of reformist leaders.
The book also rejects the 'rationalistic' interpretation of Quran propounded by Mujahids and Jama'at. The reformists strain to relate the Quranic ideas to modern science to make it palatable to the proponents of modernism. Such attempts actually drain of the real spiritualist essence of Quran. Thus, the mystic experiences of the Sufis are derided and scoffed at as they do not fit into the rationalistic scheme of things.
The book notices a perceptible change in the stand of Mujahids and Jama'at on reformation in recent times. The authors hope that there will be more serious discussions on the topic in the coming days, which will help to 'correct the past mistakes'.