Kerala BJP-RSS "distorting" history, Muslim family which helped Moplah rebels also "funded" India's freedom struggle

Moplah rebels

By A Representative
Amidst an aggressive BJP and RSS in Kerala, especially state party chief Kummanam Rajasekharan, calling the famous farmers' Malabar rebellion of 1921, also known as Moplah rebellion, “the first jihadi massacre”, facts have come to light suggesting that a powerful Muslim family from Maharashtra which was helping the rebels was also funding the freedom struggle.
A top site from Malegaon, contesting the BJP-RSS claim, has said that businessman Maulana Abdul Qadir Kasuri rushed his younger brother Abdullah Kasuri and two sons Mohiuddin Ahmed Kasuri and Mohammad Ali Kasuri to Calicut in Kerala to provide relief to the Moplahs and establish for them one of the oldest orphanages for the Moplah victims on over 50 acres of land but also funded the freedom movement.
Born in April 1889, Mohiuddin Ahmed Kasuri, reveals the site, was not only a close associate of freedom fighter and India’s first education Minister Maulana Abul Kalaam Azad. Kasuri. Kasuri, who met Maulana Azad in July 1916 in Ranchi Jail, after which he was detained by the British government in Hoshiarpur till 1919, established businesses in Bombay.
Says the site, "The profit earned from these businesses related to salt, textiles and leather industries were used to fund its charity institutions established in Calicut and Pune." Further, quoting historical sources, it notes, "The family donated for years Rs 100,000 annually to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as fund to be used for India’s freedom struggle”.
It is quite another thing that after Partition, adds the site, "the Kasuri family moved to Pakistan", adding, "Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in Pervez Musharraf’s cabinet belonged to the same family."
Rajasekharan's allegation, which led to a huge controversy across India, was made at the BJP’s Jan Raksha Yatra even as it entered the Muslim-dominated Malappuram district in Kerala early this month.
“If it were an agitation against British rule, why were thousands of people butchered and temples destroyed? It high time we stopped glorifying this massacre depicting it as freedom struggle. If anyone is given pension on behalf of this rebellion, it should be given to those who had to flee their homes during the riot and the dependents of the victims of the jihadi massacre”, the BJP leader said.
The Malabar rebellion or Moplah rebellion of 1921 is widely considered and understood as an uprising of Muslims tenants against the British government and Hindu landlords, and the culmination of a series of revolts that recurred throughout the 19th century and early 20th century.
During the rebellion, says the site in an article authored by its founding editor Aleem Faizee, "The Mappilas attacked and took control of police stations, British government offices, courts and government treasuries. The Hindus loyal to the British rule also came under attack."
Faizee adds, "It is because of this the right wing Hindu extremists and biased British historians to sow the seeds of communal divide gave it a communal colour claiming 'fight against the British ended up as large-scale massacre and persecution of Hindus'."
"According to the Kerala government’s own admission, the British government put down the rebellion with an iron fist, British and Gurkha regiments were sent to the area and Martial Law imposed", says Faizee, adding, “One of the most noteworthy events during the suppression later came to be known as the Wagon tragedy, in which 61 out of a total of 90 Mappila prisoners destined for the Central Prison in Podanur suffocatewd to death in a closed railway goods wagon”, quoting a Kerala government website.
"The Moplah Muslims and others involved in the uprising were continuously in touch with the national leaders leading the freedom struggle. These leaders were shaken by the reports of the persecution of Moplahs at the hands of the British forces", Faizee says, adding, "They became restless and started searching for means to provide relief", something which came from the Kasuri family.

Comments

US-China truce temporary, larger trade war between two economies to continue

By Prabir Purkayastha The Trump-Xi meeting in Busan, South Korea on 30 October 2025 may have brought about a temporary relief in the US-China trade war. But unless we see the fine print of the agreement, it is difficult to assess whether this is a temporary truce or the beginning of a real rapprochement between the two nations. The jury is still out on that one and we will wait for a better understanding of what has really been achieved in Busan.

Mergers and privatisation: The Finance Minister’s misguided banking agenda

By Thomas Franco The Finance Minister has once again revived talk of merging two or three large public sector banks to make them globally competitive. Reports also suggest that the government is considering appointing Managing Directors in public sector banks from the private sector. Both moves would strike at the heart of India’s public banking system . Privatisation undermines the constitutional vision of social and economic justice, and such steps could lead to irreversible damage.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Political misfires in Bihar: Reasons behind the Opposition's self-inflicted defeat

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The Bihar Vidhansabha Election 2025 verdict is out. I maintained deliberate silence about the growing tribe of “social media” experts and their opinions. Lately, these do not fascinate me. Anyone forming an opinion solely on the basis of these “experts” lives in a fool’s paradise. I do not watch them, nor do I follow them on Twitter. I stayed away partly because I was not certain of a MahaGathbandhan victory, even though I wanted it. But my personal preference is not the issue here. The parties disappointed.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Shrinking settlements, fading schools: The Tibetan exile crisis in India

By Tseten Lhundup* Since the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959, the Tibetan exile community in Dharamsala has established the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) as the guardian of Tibetan culture and identity. Once admired for its democratic governance , educational system , and religious vitality , the exile community now faces an alarming demographic and institutional decline.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Search This Blog