Moplah Rebellion

The Moplah Rebellion of 1921, also known as the Mappila Rebellion or Malabar Rebellion, is a significant yet controversial event in Indian history. The Moplah rebellion was ignited by the Khilafat- Non-Cooperation movement, aiming to mobilize the Mappila community against British colonial rule and local feudal landlords. After 6 months of conflict, the British forces managed to suppress the rebellion. It is characterized by its dual nature: part agrarian uprising against local Hindu landlords and part anti-imperialist revolt against British colonial rule. This event has been interpreted in various ways, reflecting the Integrated issues of agrarian distress, religious identity, and colonial oppression.

• Muslim Arrival in Kerala: Muslims came to Kerala in the 7th century as traders through the Arabian Sea. They married locally and settled, becoming known as Moplahs (meaning "son-in-law" in Malayalam), They mainly worked as cultivators.
• Land Ownership in Malabar: The agricultural system in Malabar was hierarchical, with Jenmis (mainly Namboothiri Brahmins and Nair chieftains) at the top, owning large lands granted by rulers. They couldn't cultivate the land themselves, so they leased it to tenants in exchange for a share of the crops.
• Changes Under Tipu Sultan and the British: In the late 18th century, Hyder Ali of Mysore invaded Malabar. This caused many Hindu landlords to leave to avoid persecution and forced conversions leading to Moplah tenants gaining more rights over the lands they farmed. However, after Tipu's defeat by the East India Company. The British took control of Malabar, making it part of the Madras Presidency. The Jenmis returned and reclaimed their lands with British support. The British introduced new laws that recognized lands as private property of the Jenmis, allowing them to evict tenants and increase rents significantly. This led to a series of conflicts and riots from 1836 to 1896.
• Economic and Political Issues: The Moplahs were exploited by both British officials and Hindu landlords, causing distress. The Khilafat Movement and the Non-Cooperation Movement gave the Moplahs a way to express their complaints, mixing religious reasons with their issues against the unfair treatment by the colonial government.

The Malabar Rebellion, also known as the Moplah Rebellion began on August 20, 1921, in Tirurangadi, South Malabar, Kerala, as a result of the Khilafat Movement's influence, which aimed to restore the caliphate in Turkey. This movement gained support from the Indian National Congress (INC) and ignited communal sentiments among Moplahs against British rule and Hindu landlords. It began as a peasant movement against British rule and upper-caste Hindu landlords due to unfair land laws introduced by the British in the early 19th century.

• Leadership: Leaders like Ali Musaliyar and Variyankunnath Kunjahammed Haji led the rebellion, controlling significant parts of Malabar by August 1921.
• Modes of Unrest: Initial actions included robbing government establishments to gather arms, aiming to establish a Khilafat state. However, Hindus and landlords were not targeted initially.
• Violence on Hindus: The violence escalated with attacks on British officers, police, and collaborators, and destruction of property. By October, violence against the general populace became severe, resulting in around 10,000 deaths, including 2,339 rebels. Forced conversions of Hindus to Islam were reported.
• Martial Law: The British imposed martial law in six out of the ten taluks in Malabar, leading to violence, persecution of Hindus, and the destruction of property, including homes and temples. Over one lakh (100,000) Hindus were displaced due to the conflict.
• Suppression: By the end of 1921, the British had formed the Malabar Special Force to decisively end the rebellion.
• Wagon Tragedy: The British response to the rebellion included the tragic Wagon Tragedy in November 1921, where 67 Moplah prisoners died due to suffocation while being transported to the Central Prison in Podanur.

• Reconversion: The Arya Samaj's Suddhi Movement responded by reconverting over 2,000 Hindus who had been forcibly converted to Islam back to Hinduism.
• Capital Punishment: Leaders of the rebellion were sentenced to death, and by the end of 1921, the uprising was suppressed.

• Nationalist Revolt: The Moplah Rebellion is considered one of the first nationalist revolts against British rule, aiming to establish an alternative administration based on religious ideology through the Khilafat Movement.
• Debate on Nature: There is a debate among historians about the nature of the uprising whether it was a nationalist rebellion against British rule or an agrarian revolt that escalated into communal violence.
• Criticism of Gandhi: Sir C. Shankaran Nair, a former president of the Indian National Congress (INC), criticized Mahatma Gandhi's support for the Khilafat Movement, suggesting it might have contributed to the rebellion's violence.
• Communal Rifts: The rebellion intensified communal tensions between Muslims and Hindus.
• Muslim Reform Movement: The period after the rebellion saw a push towards reform within the Muslim community in Malabar, leading to significant socio-political changes.

• Variyankunnath Kunjahammed Haji: Haji established a parallel Khilafat government in Nilambur, introducing a separate system for passports, currency, and taxation.
• Ali Musliyar: Muslim scholar and Imam of the Tirurangadi Masjid, Musliyar. He was executed during the rebellion
• Other Leaders: leaders like Sithi Koya Thangal, M.P. Narayana Menon, Chembrasery Thangal, K. Moideen Kutty Haji, Kappad Krishnan Nair, Konnara Thangal, Pandiyatt Narayanan Nambeesan, and Mozhikunnath Brahmadathan Nambudiripad, each bringing their strengths to the movement.

• Removal of Names from Martyrs List: The Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR), under the Ministry of Education, recently removed 387 names associated with the Moplah Rebellion from the "Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle." This action has started the debate about the historical interpretation and recognition of the participants in the rebellion.
• Malabar Insurgency: The events of 1921 in Northern Kerala, notably led by figures like Variamkunnath Kunhamed Haji and Ali Musaliar, are referred to as the Malabar Insurgency. This terminology and the actions taken by ICHR reflect ongoing controversies over how this period of resistance against British rule is remembered and classified in the context of India's freedom struggle.

The rebellion marks its 100th anniversary in August 2021 and is seen differently by people: some view it as an agrarian movement and an anti-imperialist uprising, while others see it as a communal riot. The Kerala government in 1971 recognized the rebels as freedom fighters. Recent debates over the historical recognition of the rebellion's participants highlight the continued relevance and contested nature of this chapter in India's freedom struggle.