The World Muslim Communities Council in the UAE has published a book titled Theology, Jurisprudence and Syncretic Traditions: Indianization of Islam as part of supporting regional variations of Islam and to avoid the religion being viewed as a homogenous one.
In the context of discussions on the Arabization of the religion, which is being portrayed as the genuine expression of Islam, the book aims to show a distinct perspective of the indigenization of the Islamic faith.
The senior researcher for the Council, Dr. Abbas Panakkal, stated that there are certain problems with portraying Islam as monocentric and promoting Arab culture as Islamic.
Dr. Sebastian R. Prange of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Dr. Moin Ahmad Nizami of Oxford University, and Dr. Faizan Mustafa of the NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad all contributed essays to the book.
Monsoon Islam is a word that Prange coined to describe the specific kind of Islam that was transmitted by Arab traders who traveled to South Asia in the direction of the monsoon winds.
Indian Islamic model is an excellent illustration: Islamist Council
Neither representatives of official power nor recognized religious leaders were the common shopkeepers who propagated Islam. The kind of Islam that emerged outside of the traditional Muslim homelands preserved its core while incorporating local culture. According to Prange, the mosques along the Malabar coast are actual instances of how Hindu and Muslim architecture may coexist harmoniously.
As another example of the syncretic culture, he cites the cross-communal worship of both Hindus and Muslims in some places in south India. In his article, Dr. Mustafa describes how Muslim monarchs encouraged the fusion of cultures by granting gifts to temples, outlawing the practice of cow slaughter, and appointing Hindus to important positions. He asserted that Muslims treated Hindus as “People of the Book,” alongside Christians and Jews, according to Chach Nama, the historical narrative.
According to him, certain Muslim kings even had images of Lord Shiva’s bull and Goddess Lakshmi inscribed on their currency. The Council, which is based in Abu Dhabi and advocates for Muslim inclusion in nations with non-Muslim majorities, believes that the Indian model may serve as a good example for many Muslim communities throughout the world.
The project takes on greater significance in Kerala because there is a school of thought that asserts that Islam, which was imported from Arabian countries, is the only legitimate religion and where there is a propensity to denigrate local variations of the religion. A book about Gulf Salafism and its effects on the Mujahid movement in Kerala that was produced about twenty years ago sparked intense debate in the region.
News Mania Desk
