AS FOR AS Islam is concerned it could never penetrate into the tribal regions mainly because of it’s highly dogmatic nature and lack of patronage from the Muslim rulers. It hardly ever enjoyed the official or imperial patronage because the Muslim rulers were not missionaries but largely pursued their imperial and political objectives. Hence, it was efforts of sufi saints and and preachers to spread it.That is why find that it has had marginal impact on tribal regions. The Siddis of Gujarat, a section of Gujjars of the north-western Himalayan region; and sections of the Bhils, Dhankasi and the Kotis of Rajasthan haye embraced Islam. Some small pastoral communities such as Gaddi and Bakriwal of Jammu and Kashmir have also adopted Islam largely because of the highly benign role of the sufi saints. Lakshdweep is the only example where wholesale conversion to Islam has taken place but even then the tribal population of India which has adopted Islam still remains less than one percent (0.21%).
THE tribal population of Lakshdweep consists of seven Muslim tribal communities namely, Koya, Malmi, Melacheri, Manikfan, Thakrufan, Thakru and Reveri. Recently as part of People of India Project Lakshdweep society has been studied thoroughly and we have latest ethnographic data about them. K.S. Singh (PIP, 1993) tells us that it is by now well established that Islam came to the Arabian Sea Islands from Southern Arabia and carried it’s own idioms and structures! The Islamic structure of the Lakshdweep Islands was also part of the South Indian Muslim society. However, it seems that Islam came to the Islands from the Malabar coast. The location of the mausoleum of the venerable saint Ubaidullah at Androth is significant because this Island is closest to the coast. Not only the Arabic words assimilated into Malayalam but the Arabic script was also used for the Malayalam language.”
The matrilineal descent household unit is known as tarawad. The institution of matriliny that exists in Lakshdweep has been well investigated, particularly in the context of Islam (Leela Dube & kutty : Matriliny in Islam) and other studies. The scholars have reported the decline of the matrilineal groups and matrilineal ideology as a result of the ideology and practice of Islam which, as a religion born in Semitic ambience, upheld patrilineal norms and paternal authority.
THERE has been a progressive Islamization of the life cycle rituals. For example, puberty rites for the girls similar to those of the Nayar have been given up because they were considered repugnant to Islam. The father has come to assume a new responsibility. Kinship terminology also indicates the influence of Islam. One aspect of Islamization is the rise of new religious fervour seen in the observance of festivals such as Prophet Mohammad’s birthday. Practices in conformity with the Shariat are insisted upon. Old rituals are disappearing. Folk dances are on the decline though the Mopilla folk song cassettes are very popular. Islamic Personal Laws prevail. Parallel cousin marriages are now preferential marriage type among all the seven groups. Women enjoy high status and have powerful say in the decision making process.
AMONG the entire population Islamic Great Traditions are paramount but the local little Traditions of pre-conversion times are still popular. This is not the case only with the people of Lakshdweep, rather this is a universal phenomenon. Yogendra Singh (1996) is largely right when he says that Islamization cannotes increased tendency among the converts towards new identity formation based on an increase in orthodox Islamic principles in cultural life. It also results In the uch orthodox organizations as the Tableeghi-Jamaat (preaching fraternity) have been in the forefront in their endevour to ‘weed out’the Pre-musiim/islamic cultural elements in the name of Islamic purity. However , the opposite trend is also visible among not only Muslim tribes but among the general Muslim population too. This is to achieve a symbiosis or integration of fusion of Islamic Great Traditions with the largely local Hindu Little Traditions
DESPITE it’s highly dogmatic nature Islam was able to find some adherants in tribal societies. It was largely because of the reason that Islam developed in a nomadic socio-cultural milieu and it’s social structure had tribal egalitarian character. However, Muslim tribal societies themselves may well show marked internal differentiation in structure and organization.
The following changes have been found in Islamised tribes
✓ Decline of matriliny
✓ Beginning of puberty rites which were previously unknown
✓ Changes in Kinship terminology
✓ Initiation of sharia law
✓ Rise of parallel cousin marriages
✓ Fall in the importance for folk dances