Vakkom Moulavi: Biographical Details

Abstract

Vakkom Moulavi is known as the “father” of the Muslim socioreligious reform movement in Kerala. He effectively used communication networks to promote his ideas of patriotism, modern education, and religious reform. The son of an educated and wealthy merchant, he received a well-rounded education, characteristic of the children belonging to the “noble” (ashraf) class. Like his contemporaries, he was shaped by discourse on modernity, nationalism, and socioreligious reform movements in Kerala, North India, and Egypt, spearheaded by Muhammad ‘Abduh and Rashid Rida through the periodical al-Manar. He was a staunch patriot and began his career as a journalist. In 1905, he started a Malayalam newspaper named Swadeshabhimani (patriot) to educate people about their rights and responsibilities and campaign for a responsible government committed to public welfare in Travancore. He used his journals—two in Malayalam (Muslim in 1906 and Deepika in 1931) and one in Arabie-Malayalam (al-Islam in 1918)—to motivate Muslims to pursue modern education and to bring them to the forefront of the nationalist movement. He also initiated a religious reform movement among Mappilas condemning popular religion and rejecting the authority of ulama.