Islam in Kerala
Overview of Islam in the Indian state of Kerala / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Islam arrived in Kerala, the Malayalam-speaking region in the south-western tip of India, through Middle Eastern merchants.[8][9] The Indian coast has an ancient relation with West Asia and the Middle East, even during the pre-Islamic period.
Total population | |
---|---|
c. 9 million (26.56%) in 2011[1][2] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Kerala, Lakshadweep,[3] Tulu Nadu,[4] Kodagu, Nilgiris, States of Persian Gulf,[5] Malaysia, Singapore | |
Religions | |
Islam | |
Languages | |
Malayalam, Arabi Malayalam[6][7] |
Kerala Muslims or Malayali Muslims from north Kerala are generally referred to as Mappilas. Mappilas are but one among the many communities that forms the Muslim population of Kerala.[10] According to some scholars, the Mappilas are the oldest settled Muslim community in South Asia.[8][9] As per some studies, the term "Mappila" denotes not a single community but a variety of Malayali Muslims from Kerala (former Malabar District) of different origins.[11][10] Native Muslims of Kerala were known as Mouros da Terra, or Mouros Malabares in medieval period. Settled foreign Muslims of Kerala were known as Mouros da Arabia/Mouros de Meca.[12] Unlike the common misconception, the caste system does exist among the Muslims of Kerala.[13]
Muslims in Kerala share a common language (Malayalam) with the rest of the non-Muslim population and have a culture commonly regarded as the Malayali culture.[14] Islam is the second largest practised religion in Kerala (26.56%) next to Hinduism.[15] The calculated Muslim population (Indian Census, 2011) in Kerala state is 8,873,472.[1][8] Most of the Muslims in Kerala follow Sunni Islam of Shāfiʿī School of thought, while a large minority follow modern movements (such as Salafism) that developed within Sunni Islam.[16][10]