16th century fatwa against Portuguese found

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KOZHIKODE: The preliminary survey conducted by the Manuscript Resource Centre on Arabic-Persian manuscripts of Kerala has brought ..

KOZHIKODE: The preliminary survey conducted by the Manuscript Resource Centre on Arabic-Persian manuscripts of Kerala has brought to light several anti-colonial texts that were written during the conflicts between the Zamorins and Portuguese in 1573.
One of the major texts found by the Centre is a fatwa issued in 1573 by a khasi from Kondotty, asking the Muslims to join the forces of Zamorins to attack the Chaliyam fort of the Portuguese."It was one of the major attacks on the Portuguese by the Zamorins. The attack resulted in the razing down of the Chaliyam fort and Zamorins reclaimed the control of the port. After that, the Portuguese was not able to build another fort in Chaliyam. The attack was a serious blow to their interests to make Malabar a Portuguese colony like Goa," explained K K N Kurup, director of Manuscript Resource Centre. The fatwa issued by the khasi was a highly patriotic text urging all Muslims to take part in the attack and become martyrs for their homeland, he said.

"The fatwa points to the urge of the Muslims for freedom from the colonial forces. Several of the trade routes were closely monitored by the Portuguese and the Muslims in Malabar were not even able to go to Mecca on pilgrimage at that time," he said.

"Most of the goods were transported to the West through the port at Chaliyam. However, with the control of the port, Zamorins could also control the trade," he pointed out.