Fast pace of arabification in Kerala, more reasons to suspect all the suspicions
July 14: The Muslim community in Kerala is on the fast pace of Arabification. It took several decades for burka to become common among among Muslim women. But, the latest adoptions of Arabic way of style is fast in engulfing the community. Sometimes social media communications are also in Arabic. These facts could trigger the debate on the presence of Islamic State in Kerala.
Long beard and skullcap became the marks of Islamic identify for men while it is burka for women. The adoption of Arabian cultural, culinary, financial and other practices have taken the North Kerala Muslims further closer to the Islamic style of life, followed in the Middle East.
These matters become more significant when a dozen Muslim youths with their family members had gone missing.
Business organisations owned by Muslims in Kerala have got their names written in Arabic. An Arabic touch is given when they write English.
During the last three years there was a thick flow of dishes from the Arabian cuisine like Kuzhi Mandi have got established in the taste sense of Malayalis.
Certain Arabian dishes became common in all parts of Kerala especially in Malabar, where one among two houses have well established relation with the Middle East.
They even had replaced our tasty biriyani with the spiceless Mandi.
It has become an honour to the Muslim men in Kerala to follow the Islamic style of dressing, forgetting their life till yesterday.
They literally abandoned the State’s traditional dress. Instead they wear a white robe-like garment used by the Muslim clerics in Gulf.
Muslim organisations in Kerala even promotes Islamic calendar, the one which existed only in UAE.
Main causes for arabification
Prof Hameed Chendamangalloor, an observer of Muslim matters, says, “the Muslim community in Kerala is undergoing the process of Arabification, as reported by indianexpress.com.
The main reason is the strong influence of the keralites who had gone to the the Middle East countries. This changes the community as a whole.
It happens like westernisation. Those Indians who had lived in England once used to emulate the English way of life back home.
Similarly, the Muslims in Kerala are trying to bring home the Arabian culture and their way of life,” added Chendamangalloor.
He said, earlier, the Muslim life style was the similar to one followed by Hindus and Christians in Kerala.
Adopting the Arabian way of life would lead to the segregation of Kerala Muslims from others.
Girls are forced to wear burka from their childhood and thus the community is getting trained for this division, he said.
Even minute changes in the Arabian world is getting reflected and materialised in Kerala. Congress leader Aryadan Shoukath said.
“Such adoption of Arabian life may be a speciality of the keralites. The Gulf money, a major share of Kerala economy, plays a key role in bringing the Arabian culture to the State.
The concept of Islamic banking also became a craze of the Muslims in Kerala.
