Malappuram, KERALA :

The historical accounts of Malappuram were written by outside people

Release of the book on Malappuram Photo / Express

Kozhikode :

Why does Malappuram continue to appear as a trouble spot and the hub of religious fundamentalism in popular imagination and in some political utterances? A book on the history of the geographical area, which is part of the multi-volume project on different aspects of the district, asserts that the notion that Malappuram is a ‘fanatic zone’ was the creation of colonialists, which continues to linger in popular discourses even after the country became independent.

“People of this area fought against the British invasion and boycotted their language as a token of protest. Naturally, the colonialists had an antagonism towards the people.

But the tragedy is that there are people who still nurture the colonial mindset,” said Minister for Industries and IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty, while launching the 10-volume book ‘Malappuram: Geography, People, Culture’ in Malappuram on October 4.

“The areas under the present Malappuram came under British rule in 1792. Since then, there were resistances against the British and the colonialists brought a number of black laws like the Mappila Outrages Act to contain the agitations.

There were a number of British reports like that of T L Strange, which depicted Malappuram as an unmanageable spot,” said Moyin Hudavi Malayamma, one of the general editors of the volume.

“The historical accounts of Malappuram were written by outside people. The people of Malappuram seldom got a chance to express what they actually are. Our project, in a way, is people writing their own history,” he added.

“Colonial records were the only available materials for those who studied the history of Malappuram. Naturally, those who wrote about Malappuram later were heavily influenced by these records.

The Hindutva narrative on Malappuram was built on this notion. Curiously, the Left is also parroting the narrative,” said Ashraf Valoor, one of the editors of the volume.

“Ours is an academic response to stereotyping. This is an alternative to the colonial and Hindutva narratives on Malappuram,” Valoor said. “It is true that early writers like EMS Namboodirippad viewed the 1921 agitation from the correct perspective. But later we see that the Left also internalised the colonial notion and that is why anti-Malappuram remarks are coming from some CPM leaders at regular intervals,” he added.

Valoor believes that the fact that the IUML is on the other side of the political spectrum also compelled the CPM to take an antagonistic stand towards the people of Malappuram. “Political enmity of some CPM leaders sometimes crosses the border and descends to communal level,” he said.

The volume contains academic articles on the process of ‘otherisation’ of Malappuram, the hate campaign during the formation of the district, the stories on the ‘aggression’ by Tipu Sultan and the communal amity in Malappuram. The project was envisaged by the Malappuram district committee of the Muslim Youth League and financially supported by the Saudi unit of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), a feeder organisation of the IUML.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Kerala / by MP Prashanth / October 17th, 2026