A society which was tormented by lawlessness and slavery for long is sure to look forward towards an era of liberty and tranquility. A fight for this takes place everywhere in the world which is quite natural. This is even now continuing in several nations upon the earth. Of these fights, the ones related to religious fanaticism are the worst. Fanaticism has not helped any nation to prosper. It is fraught with grave and dangerous consequences. It has not helped the growth of any nation. Religious conflicts often end up in violence, looting and murders. The perpetrators as well as victims of these skirmishes suffer equally from the agony and mental tension caused by it. The woes of those who lose their heads of family, husbands and sons are beyond description. The torments suffered by the group who initiated the riots during the Moplah rebellion from the army were indeed terrible. The mental attitude of those who were determined to die for the religion will not undergo any change in any circumstances. But it was their family members who had to spend their life in perpetual grief. Several such Muslim families languished in agony during the aftermath of rebellion too. None of those who want peace and tranquility to remain will foster or participate in religious extremism.
After the Moplah rebellion of 1921, Malabar remained comparatively calm and Hindu Muslim relations were cordial. Same time, the experiences of Moplah rebellion period was being shared with the subsequent generations by the victims. No one wants the repetition of a Moplah rebellion to happen at any cost. Every citizen has the responsibility to maintain our spirit of nationalism for keeping the unity and security of the nation intact. There need not be any doubt in confirming that the fabric of our nationalism is nothing other than “Sanathan Dharma” (Eternal ordains of duty.) India has a long standing, unique cultural heritage. This is firmly based on spirituality. The fundamental books of Indian ethos are Vedas. The Hindu way of life has evolved out of this Indian culture. The Hindu culture has the willingness and capacity to absorb and assimilate all other religious concepts. But the other religions are confined within a specific framework. The followers of such religions engage in converting Hindus to their faith and increase their numbers. Because of the ignorance about his own culture, many Hindus succumb to various types of enticements or threats and get converted. It is mostly Muslims and Christian missionaries who are engaged in converting Hindus. Recently there has been an increased awareness and anxiety about the chances of weakening of Indian culture and annihilation of our eternal values by such conversions.
Though the atmosphere was generally peaceful after the Moplah Rebellion, there had been isolated instances of communal disturbances in Kerala. It was the sheer luck of the peace loving majority that these incidents did not flare up into major man made calamities. A few of them are being discussed here solely with the purpose of averting repetition of such mindless folly.
In 1954, a group of people resorted to openly butchering a calf in Payyoli with a view to create mischief. The miscreants hacked to death a person called Kannan who was an advocate’s clerk, for protesting against this. Out of the accused two were sentenced to death and ten were awarded life imprisonment. The High court later set aside this punishment.
In 1936, there was an incident of restraining a religious procession carrying “Kalasam” (A pitcher of Holy water for ceremonial ablutions of the deity) to Cherambankavu in Muzhuppilangad of Kannur district. The miscreants were chased away. In the same year another ceremonial procession to Sundareswara temple, Kannur from Chalat was blocked and not permitted to pass through the road in front of a mosque. Here also the miscreants were chased away.
In 1947 one Ramasimhan and his family, of Malappuram who abandoned Islam and got reconverted to their original faith were mercilessly hacked to death by a group of Muslims.
In 1952 there was an instance of restraining a marriage procession from passing through the road in front of a mosque in Beypore. While a marriage procession of one Raghavan, a tailor at Meenchantha was passing along the road, a group of Muslims under the leadership of one Ibrahim blocked it and pierced the drums with a sword.
On 21st March 1954, the police rejected an application to conduct a ritual procession from Vettakkorumakan temple to Thazhathamkandi Devi temple near Arakkinar. The aggrieved devotees decided to conduct the procession without permission. It had to pass through the front side of a mosque. The RDO and Police Commissioner with adequate Police force were camping in the area. The Moplahs had assembled in front of the mosque in large numbers. Their plan was to attack the procession when it reaches near the mosque. Though the police issued orders through a loud speaker to disburse the crowd, the Moplahs did not obey their order. Sarvashri T N Bharathan, ThambiMuthaliyar of Naduvattam beach, Sreedharan, and Nanu etc were leading the procession from the front. When prayer call was issued from the mosque, things were going out of control. Police resorted to a lathi charge and burst teargas shells. When every effort went futile, the police had to resort to firing. Some people were killed. The police entered the mosque and confiscated deadly weapons.
The Muslims do not permit a noisy procession to pass through the lanes in front of a mosque. Even now on such occasions they interfere and prevent the noise making. An unwritten rule still persists that no procession with accompaniment of loud music or drum beats is permitted to pass near a mosque.
During the military assaults led by Hyder Ali, three Tali temples were destroyed in Malappuram district. They were Angadippuram Tali temple, Thirunava Kodakkal Tali temple, and Neduva Tali temple near Parappanangadi. A mosque was constructed near the desecrated Angadippuram Tali temple. For reconstruction of the temple the Hindus had to face stiff opposition from the Muslims. The renovation and restoration of the temple was undertaken under the leadership of Sarvashri. Kelappanji, A.K.Seshu Iyer, Dr.M.S.Nair, Raghavan Nair, Leela Damodara Menon,C. P. Janardanan, Madhav ji T.N.Bharathan etc. Kelappan Ji who came to worship at the temple was ridiculed by shouting a slanderous slogan which meant : “Kelappan, who pours milk over a stone on which dogs used to pee.” The Hindus were attacked near the temple by a band of Muslims.
On the night of December 8th of 1969, a group of Muslims set fire to the textile shop owned by Ganapathi Chettyar at Tirur. There were workers inside the shop then. The miscreants had poured petrol inside the shop and ignited it. Those who were inside could escape to the higher floors using the ladder. To prevent the fire from spreading they closed the trap door to the staircase also. Those who escaped to the first floor did not know that Subramanian and Krishnankutty who belonged to Chettyar’s family were left out in the shop floor. Those who were left out choked to death from the fumes and smoke. This incident led to clashes in Tirur. It was the Malabar Special Police who rushed to the scene and used force to control the clashes.
On December 18, 1984 a group of Muslims came out of a mosque and slashed to death one Athavanad Gopalakrishnan.This was in the night after the Hindu Munnani had concluded their meeting.
On August 23rd of 1996, at Valancheri Karthala, Madathil Thami, a Harijan youth was cruelly hacked to death by a group of Muslims. The assault took place at a point very near to house where he was returning from work at Kuttippuram, with onakkodi (dress presents generally made during onam festival) for his children. The assailants had slit his stomach and killed him. The case registered against the culprits by crime branch is still pending in court. Thami was the treasurer of Valancheri Mandalam BJP. The government offered a job to Thami’s wife and helped her. Their family had moved from the village and shifted elsewhere unable to recover from the shock of this cold blooded murder.
A youngster by name Palur Mohanachandran was hacked to death at Perintalmanna by a group of Muslims. Another by name Maniyan was cajoled into coming out of his house at Muthalamada in the midnight posing as friends and was murdered. The police had found out that an Islamic outfit named Al Ummah was behind this murder. Out of the accused two were awarded life imprisonment by the court. One of the accused is involved in the Thami murder case also. It was the first case in Malabar registered by Valancheri Police involving Al Ummah which is an Islamic terrorist outfit.
In September 1998, a group of people hacked to death a Muslim called Yasir. This person was converted to Islam from the goldsmith cast among Hindus. There was an allegation that he was actively involved in initiating more such conversions from Hindus. Those who were accused in this case were let off by the District court, Manjeri. But later on appeal, the High court punished them.
In 1992, after the demolishing of the disputed structure in Ayodhya, there was an atmosphere of terror in Malappuram district for almost a week from December 6th. Before things worsened and slipped into big riots, the Government acted firmly and in time to prevent any casualties. One section of Moplahs had organized under the banner of Muslim Aikya Vedi. Several houses were torched in Thanur. It was in 1992 that army had to interfere again in Malabar after the Moplah rebellion of 1921. After the root march by the army, things returned to normalcy. Moplahs had called for a bandh of three days. Everywhere demonstrations were held by them in protest of the incident. The Moplahs slashed to death five Hindus including two brothers in Malappuram district. Two Muslims were also killed. Perandakkal Bhagavathy temple was blasted using bombs. Some tried to create tension by breaking the chain of beads worn by Sabarimala Pilgrims. Though hundreds of cases were registered in connection with these, not even in one case the culprits were punished. After 1992 December, a section of Muslims kept a distance from Hindus for about two to three years.
A group of Muslims took out Chekanur Abdul Hasan Moulavi who was a learned man of modern thinking on Islam, from his house and was killed.
In 1995, a group of about seventy Muslims destroyed the foundation of the Kottakkunnu Durga Bhagavathi temple. The previous day devotees had lit lamps and prayed there in connection with renovation of the temple. There were no Hindu houses near the temple. There was a case registered in Tirur sub court bearing number: OS271/95 seeking for restitution of rights of worship and reclaiming the land and remnants of the old temple there. The case was filed by Kolarattil Krishnan kutty and Nellikkat Sasikumar against Kurunkattil Beerankutty and Puzhakkattil Kunji Mohammad, and his brother Abubacker. Adhikaratthil Appukuttan, the Secretary of Kottakkunnu Durga temple renovation committee was attacked on 17th September 1997, by midnight while he was going home, by a group of Muslims. From a place near to Iringavur Ambalamkunnath mosque they pelted stones against him. When he switched on the torch light the miscreants ran away into the dark. Appukuttan filed a petition on the next day at Kalpakancheri Police station stating that there was risk for his life and there had been earlier attempts in this direction by way of group challenges and teasing. As per the revenue records of Iringavur Village, title deeds of 70 cents of land under Sy No: 112/2 and 37 cents under Sy no: 111/5 are temple lands.
Tharunilath Ravindran, who was Khand Karyavahak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at Thirunavaya while coming on a motor bike with his friend, was hacked to death by a group of Muslims at Tirur, B P Angadi. The murder was on the previous day of Nercha (A Muslim celebration in honor of a past saint) in honor of B P Angadi Yahum Thangal Ouliya, which is jointly celebrated by Hindus and Muslims of the area. There was a group of Muslims who did not like the idea of celebrating the Nercha along with Hindus. Their demand was that the Nercha should be conducted in purely Islamic way. The festival of the place was stopped for several years. The local people had approached the court and wanted it to be organized under the supervision of court. The assumption of police was that the murder was aimed at consciously disturbing the peacefull atmosphere prevalent in the area. On the next day of murder, the celebration was peacefully held with complete help and cooperation from Hindus of the area.
Next day a Moplah youth was attacked with swords near the Tirur over bridge. This incident created panic about possible communal riots among the people. There were 11 attempts at human life in various places following this incident.
In continuation a person called Thanur Moolakkal Sahadevan was hacked to death at a tea shop by the Muslims. Before the shock subsided one Puthuppatt Muhammad was slain with swords at Muthur near Tirur.
These incidents which could have led to a massive communal conflict were averted by the police through timely intervention and tough measures.
On 2nd May2003, about more than hundred Moplahs massacred 9 Hindus belonging to Araya (Fishermen) community with deadly weapons and looted their houses at Marad Beach in Kozhikode. The then Chief Minister, Mr. A.K.Antony called it “incomparable cruelty”. This was a carnage which received attention at all India level and scorned by everybody. The conspiracy was hatched at various places like Marad Beach, Marwa palace, Beypore Pulimood, Marad Juma Masjid etc. as per the reports of the investigating officials. In a conflict that took place in 2002 in Marad, two Muslims were killed. In the second riot, out of 139 accused 63 were found guilty. 62 of them were awarded life imprisonment. A revision petition on the first verdict resulted in similar punishment for additional 26 people more.
Arayachantakath Ambujakshan remembers Marad riots with a shudder. He saw through the window a group of people shouting “Allahu Akbar” and wielding swords with human blood dripping. Immediately he escaped through the rear entrance along with his family to safety by which he could save his life. The miscreants shattered the TV and tape recorder, telephone etc. They broke open the shelf and took away eight thousand rupees and three and half sovereigns of gold. (Adv. B.N.Binesh, Kesari weekly, volume 62. Pages 11&12) Several houses were looted like this. The police registered separate cases in respect of each incident. Looting and torching of houses along with carnage were executed in a preplanned manner. The police reached immediately and took control of the Marad beach. That resulted in a sudden stoppage of the assaults. But the Moplahs came with counter cases alleging that their houses were looted. Like declaring the Moplah rebellion of 1921 as peasant movement and freedom struggle, here also political decisions were taken to win organized communal votes. The state government declared compensation for the victims of the riots. While 163 Moplahs were paid upto Rs. 25000/-each, without any considerations, not a single Hindu among the victims was paid anything by way of compensation for the losses suffered.
(T. Sudheesh Kesari Weekly, Volume: 62, issue : 17 page: 15,16)
After all these incidents, now Malabar is quiet. People pray that saner senses may prevail over the followers of all religions by learning lessons from the past. Though there is no dearth for such prayers, it is a fact that periodically such incidents raise their ugly heads reminding us of the tragedy of 1921.
Many of these flares occur when certain people believe that their religion alone is perfect and try to impose their religious customs and practices over others and try to install their type of a government. Irrespective of whether Congress or Communists, when they come to power by virtue of the organized vote bank of semitic religions, they are often forced to bend their backs and succumb to the pressure tactics used by these groups. There is no existence for a Congress led united front without Muslim legue. As such whenever Muslim league frowns, Congress gets shivers. The Muslim league has been able to secure all political and economic privileges in Malabar by simply making the Congress sign on dotted lines. The Congress has become bound to protect the interests of Muslim League. A major portion of Muslim population and the Muslim League have no respect for the Indian traditions, heritage or its cultural ethos. Lighting of brass lamps with oil wicks on the occasion of a new beginning is considered a traditional Indian cultural ritual. There are Muslim Ministers belonging to Muslim league who refuse to light the lamp on the occasion of official inaugurations. Mr. P.K.Abdul Rab the erstwhile Education Minister of Kerala refused to light the lamp to inaugurate the P.N. Panickar memorial event in July 2015.
The Moplahs are not prepared to sing “Vande Matharam” which is so dear to all of us Indians. As they consider it anti Islamic. When even the Muslims in the government say like this, there is a doubt whether they still want to keep away from the spirit of nationalism on the basis of some queer agenda. These leaders either knowingly forget or are blissfully ignorant of the evil influences such stances create among the ordinary Muslims of the lower rungs and the resultant damages it may cause to all of us.
In Hindu majority areas, the Muslim families are safe and secure. But in Muslim majority areas, the Hindus even now are subjected to several difficulties. The most important among them is indeed the religious conversions. There are several schemes hatched by Muslim organizations for converting Hindus into believing in Din. Those who have fallen prey to these tactics are in grave troubles. The ultimate aim for which all Muslim organizations work for, is establishment of an Islamic regime only. “Jama at e Islami” is one such organization striving for and waiting for an Islamic reign. Since laws are all manmade, “Jamaat e Islami” does not approve of them. Their founder leader had instructed that Muslims who occupy high offices of the government should vacate them. The speech made by their leader, V.K. Ali on 22nd May 1998, at Tirur, Kizhakke Angadi is a sum total of all this. The author was present on the occasion and taken note of relevant portions of it which is as under.
“You invite all towards the path of your protector. This is applicable to all eventhough originally instructed to the Prophet, It is the responsibility of everyone who believes in “Razul”. Jama at e Islami invites all mankind to Allah and his laws. The aim is to bring the entire world into the path of Din. To bring into the fold of Din of Allah where Muslims are in power. Implementations of laws which are against the tenets of Islam are dangerous to the Din. Wherever Muslims are in power the Din of Allah should be implemented. Manmade laws are all hollow. To have peace and tranquility one should believe in Din. This is security. This should not be called extremism. Oh! Believers in truth please be prepared for a jihad (holy war) for the Din of Allah. Allah will forgive your sins and take you to heaven. The Koran says that there will be domination by Allah’s Din.”
When the leaders of an Islamic organization exhorts like this how the ordinary Muslims can sit idle and without making all out efforts at conversions to Islam? How many leaders would have urged like this that wherever Din is in power, its tenets should be implemented? The post 1921 incidents were all the aftereffects of such exhortations. The best example for how to implement Islamic ways in Muslim majority areas is Malappuram. The first example is the helplessness to install a statue of Thunchath Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature at Tirur. It was Malayala Manorama Daily which decided to install a statue of Ezhuthachan in the city junction. The decision of the Tirur Munciplaity to erect a structure in the middle of the junction to control traffic was taken over by the daily. The decision was to erect the statue on a pedestal with a circular foundation and steps on the four sides like the ones found in Hindu temples. (Sopanam style) A sculptor from Vallikkunnu had also completed the statue for the purpose. The sculpture was being done after screening of the image from four sides. Meanwhile some one managed to peep inside and found out that the pedestal took the shape of a temple and the statue that of an idol. Muslim fundamentalists made a hue and cry against this. The Muslim league which ruled Tirur Municipality instructed Malayala Manorama to refrain from installing any statue of Thunchath Ezhuthassan. The clever news paper manangement extricated itself out of the tricky situation by erecting the sculpture of an “Ink bottle and quill” in place of father of Malayalam language. Four thirteen years the statue of Thunchath Ezhuthassan remained concealed in a gunny bag at the house of the sculptor. Later he had to be contented with installing it at a local school.
Several years have passed after the closure of the Saraswati temple in Thunchan Paramba, in Tirur, which belonged to the great father of Malayalam literature who had led a great movement to purify human minds through spirituality. The idols of Ganapati, Saraswati, Sri Ram etc. worshipped by him are laying inside the temple. The temple was closed to protect the secular interests of Thunchan Paramba. The state government and its cultural department too stood in support of this move. The temple used to open only once a year, on the Vijayadasami day. On this date tens of thousands of devotees used to gather here for offering worship to the Deity of knowledge. Though earlier there used to be offerings made in the form of Archana and Malar Nivedyam (flower like rice taken out of fried paddy) this was banned by the trust controlled by Marxist party and headed by Sri. M.T.Vasudevan Nair on the pretext, that it was not a temple. A temple was closed for ever in the name of secularity by the Thunchan Smaraka Trust just for the benefit of a few votes from the followers of semitic religions, totally contradicting with the spiritual ideals for which Ezhuthachan stood.
Ramzan is a holy month for Moplahs. It is not mandatory that others should also observe fast during the period with Muslims. Fasting during Ramzan month is an Islamic religious practice. During the period no hotel owned by Muslims will be opened. One will not get even water to quench the thirst from shops run by Muslims. It can be viewed as an issue related to their religious and personal faith. But why is that a hotel leased out by the Municipal Corporation in Tirur Bus stand should remain closed, where thousands of people belonging to other faiths come and go daily for various purposes and get stranded with no food or water? The hotel in Municipal bus stand is closed solely with a view to protect the interests of a particular community with scant regard for the requirement of food and water for others. The Municipality turns a blind eye to the problems of non-Muslim population and takes no steps to open this restaurant. In the interior areas even if hotels owned by Hindus are to function during the month they are forced to be covered on the front with cloth or plastic sheets. Tea shops can be run only under the fear of threat. Till about 12 years back, it was common for Muslims to torch the tea shops opened by Hindus during Ramzan month. The last of such incidence occurred in Pariyapuram of Vettam Panchayat.
“Love Jihad” is a term which is highly discussed these days by media as well as society. This is a technique of conversion to Islam after faking love to innocent Hindu girls studying in schools and colleges by dedicated Muslim Youth and marrying them under provisions of Special Marriages Act. The main victims are girls belonging to Nambudiri and Nair families. A number of complaints about such incidents involving enticing of girls in the name of love and converting them to Islam are received daily by the Hindu Help Line, a charitable and social welfare organization. Many are afraid that these conversions might lead to far reaching consequences in future. If Christians and Muslims indulge in large scale conversions, the traditional and eternal cultural frame of our great nation will be in danger. Muslims desire for an Islamic regime and Christians for a reign controlled by the Church. The Muslims and Christians do have a responsibility to maintain the cultural fabric of this nation. But they are blissfully ignorant of the fact that their actions amount to cutting the very branch on which they perch. If the Indian cultural essence is tampered with, India will cease to exist.
The police had found out that there were the hands of Muslim fundamentalists behind the torching of about 14 cinema talkies in Malappuram District. The extremist activities in Kashmir had started with similar setting fire to cinema talkies. The cinema talkies at Tirur, Mangattiri, Unyal etc where charred using cigarette bombs. Banning of video shooting for marriages in certain Muslim areas is also part of implementing the commands of the Din.
The sanctum sanctorum of Thanur Narasimhamurthy temple was torched. This happened while steps were in progress to vacate the lands belonging to the temple from unauthorized possession of Muslims.The police was not able to catch even one offender.
The gopura door (main entrance) of Angadippuram Tali temple was set to fire. In this incident also the culprits could not be caught.
On 4th July, 2010, a group of Muslims chopped away the hand of Mr. T. J. Jose, a teacher of Numen’s college Thodupuzha accusing that he denigrated Muhammad Nabi. The culprits came in a van and stopped Joseph on his way back home from the church in a car along with his mother and sisters and smashed the car windows, dragged out Mr. Joseph and attacked him before his mother and sister. He was forcefully laid on the road and his hand was severed off. In this case from the prosecution side there were 305 witnesses, 227 articles of mainour and 57 records of evidence presented before the court. The special NIA court on 8th May 2015 punished the ten offenders with 8 years rigorous imprisonment and fine.
The last incident is that of Faisal belonging to Kodinji, Faizal nagar who was killed on 19th November, 2016 at Mankadakutti road. He was working as a driver in Riyad from where he embraced Islam and had come back to convert his wife and three children. The incident took place while he was waiting to return to Riyad after leave. His family members were angry with him about the conversion.
As stated earlier it is worth reiterating that incidents such as these should not recur. Repetition of such unfortunate incidents cannot, as well, be viewed as a good omen. Inter religious cordiality and toleration cannot be achieved by the efforts of one sect alone. If the belief that all religions are equally good for attaining heaven or god realization etc. is accepted by everyone, peace and tranquility will prevail on its own.
