Khilafat movement & Malbar incident

The Malabar rebellion, as it is popularly known, was part and parcel of the Khilafat movement started by Gandhiji along with the Muslim league. The Khilafat movement, as its name clearly states, was aimed at restoring the Khilafa of Turkey to his throne. Thus the moment sought to tap into the pan Islamic identity of the Indian Muslim.

The Khilafat moment led to the empowerment of the Muslim League, not as part of the nationalist political mosaic, but as a sectarian outfit. Ultimately this led to the the creation of Muslim enclaves within and without India.

Before  going  into Malbar rebellion let  us  under  stand about  khilafat movemt

Event  in Turkey

An attempt was made towards inaugurating a Pan-Islamic movement i.e. the Aligarh movement during the last quarter of the 19^th century. It did not succeed but the sentiment never died out altogether. It is proved by the active sympathy of the Indian Muslims (M) towards the Turks in their fight against Italy and the Balkhan powers. Turkey’s entry into the war as an ally of Germany put the Indian M into a quandary. Their natural sympathy lie with the Sultan of Turkey as their Caliph or religious head but as British subjects they were to be loyal to the British throne. Realizing their predicament the British PM, Lloyd George declared on 05/01/1918, that the allies “were not fighting to deprive Turkey of the rich and renowned lands of Asia Minor and Thrace which are predominantly Turkish in race”. These assurances led the Indian M to believe that whatever happened, the territorial integrity and independence of Turkey, so far as her Asiatic dominions would be maintained. However, what happened was different. Thrace was presented to Greece while the Asiatic portions of Turkey passed to England and France. Thus Turkey was dispossessed of her homelands and the Sultan deprived of all real authority. Indian M regarded this as a great betrayal and carried on agitations through out 1919 but to no effect.

At the same time, Mustufa Kemal Pasha a highly gifted leader rose in Turkey brushed aside the weak regime of the Caliph and resolved to make a new, powerful Turkey on modern nationalistic lines. Aware that the Caliph was the religious leader of the Arab world he decided to get rid his country of Arabism and liberate it from the stronghold of the maulvis and mullahs. (Something that Pakistan needs to do today). He was helped by Jamaluddin Afghani, an Arab born in Afghanistan in 1838.

The rise of a powerful state in Turkey did not suit the Brits. They prodded Aga Khan to join hands with the Caliph. Aga Khan and Amir Ali went to Kemal Pasha and begged him to save the Caliph, Abdul Majid. Kemal treated them with contempt and derided Aga Khan (a Shia) and Amir Ali (a Khoja) as heretics of Islam who had no business to advise the Sunni Turkish Muslims. Kemal said that it was ironical that two men who were the pillars of the Brit rule in India had come to advise Turkey on their national policy. He exposed these two men, dethroned Islam from the pedestal of the official state religion and transformed Turkey into a secular state.

The annulment of the Partition of Bengal and now the anti-Turkey moves by the British sent waves of hatred and anger among the Muslims for the Brits. The Congress thought that a golden opportunity had been presented to win the Muslims over to their side. At a time when the League was weak and ineffective, the Congress boosted its morale and contributed in no small measure to projecting the League as the sole representative of the Indian Muslims

In towards Turkey early 1920 the Indian M started an agitation to bring pressure on the Brits to change her policy. This is known as the Khilafat (K) Movement, received enormous strength because of Gandhi’s support. In fact From the beginning Khilafat was a self-defeating enterprise.

 Gandhiji thought that by supporting the Khilafat 'cause' he would be able to garner Muslims into the national mainstream

What did Khilafat achieve? First Muslim fanaticism secured a position of prestige in Indian politics, thereafter; their religious loyalty took precedence over national loyalty. Two the Muslim population so far was divided among various groups and political pulls now became one solid force. Three a new fanatic leadership riding on the crest of the Khilafat wave came to wield the reigns of the Muslim leadership. 

Unfortunately in  Malabar region of Kerala, the movement morphed into a frightening form. From the womb of the Khilafat emerged a monster which murdered, burned and raped its way through wide swathes of this land. It left behind a dazed Hindu population, which never expected, much less deserved, the atrocities committed by its 'muslim brothers'. The holocaust left behind refugees, desecrated temples, homes looted and burned. And… women, ravaged through unspeakable atrocities.

Many have tried to sweep the incidents of 1921under the carpet. Some have spinned and  made it  into a  'secular' statement out of it with politically correct movies and plays. Others have gone a step further and justified the atrocities as isolated incidents in course of a freedom struggle for which the Communist government had allotted pension ! Isolated incidents? Evidence points to the contrary. Overwhelming evidence.

Some may ask: why go into the past? Let bygones be bygones. And I ask: does the past go away? Are we free from history?

History is taught and studied with great care so that its lessons are not forgotten. We study it with the belief that its truth will set us free. We know that history has a funny habit of biting us in the behind if it is ignored.

It cannot be said that the history of the events of 1921 has been ignored by the successive governments of state and nation. But it can be undoubtedly stated that the teaching of history has been selective. And  twisted beyond  repair . and  time  has come  to set  it  right

There has been and continue to be relentless efforts by Historians, to document Moppila Lahala as a war against the British Empire and not a communal one .before  going  further  .

Before  going  further  on  this let  us  understand  what  exactly  is Mopalah Rebellion ,,,?

Moplahs are a band of fanatic Muslims who have descended from the Arabs who settled in the The Malabar Coast in about the 8^th or 9^th century A.D and married mostly Indian wives. They had over the years acquired an unenviable notoriety for crimes perpetuated under the impulse of religious frenzy. They were responsible for 35 minor outbreaks during the Brit rule, the most terrible being the one that took place in August 1921

The Malabar Uprising (also known as the "Moplah Rebellion", "മാപ്പിള ലഹള" Māppila Lahaḷa in Malayalam) was an armed uprising in 1921 against Britishauthority and Hindus^[2] in the Malabar region of Southern India by Mappila Muslims and the culmination of a series of Mappila revolts that recurred throughout the 19th century and early 20th century.^[3] 

 In fact, Moppila lahala was noting more than a Communal genocide perhaps 10 times the size of Gujarat meted out against the HINDUS by the Muslims or Moppilas as they are commonly referred to in Kerala. Historians, cultural envoys, movie makers, intellectuals are on an all out effort to rewrite history otherwise depicting Moppila Lahala as a gallant freedom struggle by the Muslims against the British.The  same set  of  people  are  planning  to celebrate this a great  event  next  year  as  freedom  struggle !! The Education Ministry of Kerala, in the hands of Muslims for the better part of 43 years since the inception of the State of Kerala, has already altered school text books to reflect a view point praising the Muslims and ridiculing the Hindus of the period. This should not be left to happen and talks  are  already  underway it  seems to  celebrate this  centenary Malabar episode as  a day  to  honour these   people  fought  against  British  rule .  

You have learned about the 'wagon tragedy' at school.But what about the events of Tuvvur? Have you heard about the well at Tuvvur? . But  its really  puts  me  off  whenever  so  called  historians mentions more  about Wagaon tragedy then and  try  to push  under  carpet  the Tuvvur incident  !!

Of course both  are  tragic  and loss of  life  but the spin that  is  given puts  me  off

Wagon incident

It was exactly on November 21, 1921, 93 years ago, that a goods wagon that steamed into Podanur Junction from Tirur in Kerala spilled out as many as 70-bodies of ryots.These farmers were arrested when they revolted against Colonial rulers and clashed with the Malabar police. They were herded into a windowless wagon without food and water to be transported to the Coimbatore prison.

the Malabar region comprised of Palakkad, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kasargone, Kozhikkode and Kannur which was part of the then Madras Presidency.By the time the train chugged a distance of 140 km into Podanur, 70 farmers had suffocated to death. Some of them survived by drinking urine. This horrific incident came to be called the Jalian Wallabagh of the South. In 1972, the Kerala Government called it the Wagon Tragedy.

The British Raj tried to cover up this heinous event but finally relented to the pressure and gave a solatium of Rs 300 to the families of those who were killed.The Sergeant of the Malabar Police who ordered the farmers to be transported in this inhuman way to the prisons in Coimbatore and Bellary was called Richard Harvard Hitchcock.

Tuvvur Incident  

The well which attained, notoriety is situated midway between Tuvvur and Karuvarakundu on the slope of the bare hillock.  The meeting of about 4,000 followers of Chembrasseri Thangal from the neighboring amsoms was presided by the Tangal sitting in the shadow of the small tree.  More than 40 Hindus were taken to the Tangal with their hands tied behind their back. Three people were shot dead; 34 Hindus and 2 Mappilas ( who were living with the Hindus ) were taken one by one to the well 15 feet away from the rock.  Just at the brink there is a small tree. The executioner stood here and after cutting on the neck with his sword pushed the body into the well.  Many of the people who were thus thrown in were not dead, but escape was impossible.  The sides of the well are cut in hard laterite rock and there are no steps.  It is said that some people were crying out from the well even on the 2nd  day of the massacre.  They must have died a particularly horrible death. ( There is another story associated with the Thuvvur well. It is said that after two days a nearby Mappila named 'Kandarmadi' climbed down the well using a ladder and hacked the remaining Hindus to death using a machete ) At the time when this massacre was perpetrated it was the rainy season, and there was some water in the well.  E. Rama Menon, B.A. visited the spot along with Pandit Rishi Ram the Arya Samaj Missionary. At this time the well was dry. The visitors had a look at the gruesome sight.  The bottom was entirely filled with human bones and 30 skulls were counted.  One skull was particularly noticeable as it was neatly divided into two halves by means of a saw. This was the skull of an old man pensioned head constable Kumara Panikker. K. Madhavan Nair visited the spot with Srinivasa Sastri a few months after the rebellion and he counted 20 skulls

Have you come across the events at Tuyyuur  incident in any textbook? Are these not tragedies in the same scale of the ‘wagon tragedy’? Is it that the innocents who perished inside the wells at Tuvvur and Muthumana were less innocent than the Mappila agitators who died inside the wagon? Were they less human?

.

In fact  surprisingly  Mahatma  Gandhiji   never  stood  for  hindus  even  at  that  time and  look  at  what  he  has  to  say  about  this in  Young  India which  is  documented i

The Hindus, instead of running away to save their lives would have been truly non violent and would have covered themselves in Glory and added luster to their faith and won the friendship of their Mussalman assailants if they has stood bare breast with smiles on their lips and died at their post”

      -‘Young India’ May 29 , 1924 

   Dr.Ambekar was not a leader who had any love for the so-called high castes. But he correctly called Mopla events as barbaric. In fact, at that time apart from Dr.Annie Beasent he was the only leader to condemn these barbarisms

Dr. Annie Beasant records the following in her report titled Malabar's agony in New India dated 29 Nov 1921

 ‘’It would be well if Mr Gandhi could be taken into Malabar to see with his own eyes the ghastly horrors which have been created by the preaching of himself and his “loved brothers” Mohammad and Shaukat Ali. The Khilafat Raj is established there; on August 1, 1921, sharp to the date first announced by Mr Gandhi for the beginning of Swaraj and the vanishing of British Rule, a Police Inspector was surrounded by Moplahs revolting against that Rule. From the date onwards thousands of the forbidden war knives were secretly made and hidden away and on August 20, the rebellion broke out, Khilafat Flags were hoisted on Police Stations and Government Offices  also     The main brunt of the Moplah ferocity was borne, not by the govt but by the Hindus who  constituted the majority of the population. Massacres, forcible conversions, desecration of temples, foul outrages upon woman were perpetuated freely till troops could arrive to restore order  ::

This inhuman defending of the barbaric Mopla atrocities prompted Annie Beasent to further comment bitterly:

Men who consider it "religious" to murder, rape, loot, to kill women and little children, cutting down whole families, have to be put under restraint in any civilized society.

 In fact From the beginning Khilafat was a self-defeating enterprise. Gandhiji thought that by supporting the Khilafat 'cause' he would be able to garner Muslims into the national mainstream. Unfortunately it allowed fundamentalist Muslim leadership to alienate Muslims and commit atrocities against Hindus which ultimately ended in partition of the nation  and  unfortunate  that  the  very people are  trying  to  give  a  twist  to  this  event  and trying  to  celebrate  the  centenary year as fight  against  Britishers !!

 At  that  time Maulana Modini called the looting and killing of HIndus 'military necessity' while the high priest of Khilafat movement itself the then Congress High Command applauded Moplas for fighting devotedly for their religious cause in a way 'they consider religious'.

One of the favourite myths of the pseudo-secularist is that Moplah atrocity was actually a rebellion against land-owners who 'happened to be ' Hindus by  chance !!. As demonstrated by the large number of swords and knives ornamentally decorated in their handles

This  article  is not a comprehensive compilation of the incidents of 1921-22. The happenings associated with the Mappila riot are too voluminous to be included in any single document.  Our effort here is to shed light on a few incidents and give a better understanding of the Holocaust in Malabar and give  other  version  which  is not  stated  anywhere and  make you  aware  how  history  can  be  twisted .

Finally  At the annual session of the Khilafat Conference in 1923, Shaukat Ali, President of the session praised the Moplahs while conceding some Hindus had suffered at their hands, he said the while chapter was a closed book since they had a duty to the brave Moplahs. He announced that he and his brother Muhammad Ali would provide for the maintenance of one Moplah orphan. One looks in vain on the part of the Congress or Hindu leaders to help the victims of the Muslim outrage. May be they would be called communal if they had done so, their minds being so well conditioned by the Brits that helping fellow Hindus was a crime. Even  now after 100  years   situation  has  not  changed and  people are branded as   as  communal  if  we  talk  about justice for   Hindus . .