---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: R
Distorting to claim a mythical history
Dr. C.I. Issac
The religious minorities of Kerala, particularly Christians and Muslims, are proud of their historical past. However, these days they have started to feel a sense of insufficiency of their historical value. Since the days of Portuguese, stories regarding the first century of Common Era (CE) origin and aristocratic beginning began to circulate widely amongst the Kerala Christians. Later on this articulated tradition got deep rooted with the Christian faith. Scholars even from amongst the Christian community began challenging the historicity of the legend that claims the noble descent and first century origin of Indian (Kerala) Christianity. Those who supported the first century origin of Christianity mainly highlighted some mystifying stories related to certain saints and churches. The veracity of the stories associated with these monuments is doubtful. This is because the architectural style that was adopted in constructing these churches (structures) does not match the style that prevailed in that period.
Similarly, the Muslims of Kerala were a peace loving national community until the days of the expeditions of Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan. Thereafter, they were forced to transform themselves into fanatics. The seeds of fanaticism that were sowed by the Mysorian invaders were reaped in the bumper harvest during the days of the Mopla Riot of 1921 (Malabar Riot). The Muslim fanatics who were at the front of the Hindu massacre during the course of the Malabar Riot are now christened as freedom fighters and comrades, respectively, by the Right and Left coalitions of Kerala. This is the thumbnail portrait of the contemporary politico-social structure of the Muslim social formations of Kerala. But recently as a result of the GEB (Gulf Economic Boom), the Muslim community of Kerala also began to think of rewriting their history by incorporating the story of a rich and distant past. As the Christians of Kerala did they also coddled themselves in fabricating a so-called history of Islam in Kerala – a history of Hindu kings converting to Islam and attributed antique value to a few of their mosques.
In order to evade enquiries from the students of history, such monuments of religious importance are being demolished without preserving the relics of antique value and new and lofty structures are being contructed in their place with granite slabs (with inscriptions on them) claiming that at the site of the new building there was another one dating back to the days of the founder of their religion. Today the process of the demolition of churches and mosques is happening at an extensive and unprecedented rate. A set of would be secular historians with vested interest is supporting the Christian and Muslim historio-graphical exercise (distortions). All these necessitated an enquiry into the antique values of the Christian and Muslim places of worship that are subject to the demolition exercise and into the (religious hierarchical) social psychology behind their reconstruction. ...................................
Dr. C.I. Issac
The religious minorities of Kerala, particularly Christians and Muslims, are proud of their historical past. However, these days they have started to feel a sense of insufficiency of their historical value. Since the days of Portuguese, stories regarding the first century of Common Era (CE) origin and aristocratic beginning began to circulate widely amongst the Kerala Christians. Later on this articulated tradition got deep rooted with the Christian faith. Scholars even from amongst the Christian community began challenging the historicity of the legend that claims the noble descent and first century origin of Indian (Kerala) Christianity. Those who supported the first century origin of Christianity mainly highlighted some mystifying stories related to certain saints and churches. The veracity of the stories associated with these monuments is doubtful. This is because the architectural style that was adopted in constructing these churches (structures) does not match the style that prevailed in that period.
Similarly, the Muslims of Kerala were a peace loving national community until the days of the expeditions of Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan. Thereafter, they were forced to transform themselves into fanatics. The seeds of fanaticism that were sowed by the Mysorian invaders were reaped in the bumper harvest during the days of the Mopla Riot of 1921 (Malabar Riot). The Muslim fanatics who were at the front of the Hindu massacre during the course of the Malabar Riot are now christened as freedom fighters and comrades, respectively, by the Right and Left coalitions of Kerala. This is the thumbnail portrait of the contemporary politico-social structure of the Muslim social formations of Kerala. But recently as a result of the GEB (Gulf Economic Boom), the Muslim community of Kerala also began to think of rewriting their history by incorporating the story of a rich and distant past. As the Christians of Kerala did they also coddled themselves in fabricating a so-called history of Islam in Kerala – a history of Hindu kings converting to Islam and attributed antique value to a few of their mosques.
In order to evade enquiries from the students of history, such monuments of religious importance are being demolished without preserving the relics of antique value and new and lofty structures are being contructed in their place with granite slabs (with inscriptions on them) claiming that at the site of the new building there was another one dating back to the days of the founder of their religion. Today the process of the demolition of churches and mosques is happening at an extensive and unprecedented rate. A set of would be secular historians with vested interest is supporting the Christian and Muslim historio-graphical exercise (distortions). All these necessitated an enquiry into the antique values of the Christian and Muslim places of worship that are subject to the demolition exercise and into the (religious hierarchical) social psychology behind their reconstruction. ...................................
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