IN April, more than 100 copies of “Karkaraye Konnatharum” the Malayalam translation of the book “Who Killed Karkare?” were sold at a single bookstore on the day of its release in Kozhikide, the biggest city in Muslim dominated north Kerala. In normal times, the record sales would've drawn the usual accolades about the high literacy rate among Keralites and their inclination to take nothing at face value and instead decipher, debate and dramatize every viewpoint they come across before accepting or rejecting it. It's a Keralite idiosyncracy that even Gulf employers have learned to patiently suffer, more so because, in all that irrepressible din, there's also the heartening thought that Keralites, even if they are only teaboys, will never let anything slip past at the workplace without raising an eyebrow or two about its possible motives and outcomes. That's perhaps why nearly every second Indian in the entire Gulf, Saudi Arabia included, is a trusted Keralite. But these are no normal times in Kerala. In recent months, the state – India's best in several human development indices – has made headlines as “a hotbed of terrorism” and, not surprisingly given the global trend, its Muslims, who make up 24.7 percent of the population, are all suspect. It's easy to dismiss what's really destroying Kerala's rich tradition of social harmony with sweeping statements of “Muslim extremism”, especially given the increasing visibility of Muslim presence in the form of new mosques, more women in Hijabs in the street and the proliferation of Muslim-owned businesses, schools and colleges across the state. It is also pathetic that the sale of 100 copies of a book alleging that Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare was killed by Hindu terrorists on 26/11 and not by Pakistani terrorists should be used as a yardstick to raise an alarm about perceived “anti-national and anti-Hindu sentiments” among Kerala's Muslims. That said, however, Kerala does have a serious problem of jihadist activity going unchecked. Recently, extremists hacked off the hand of a Christian college professor for authoring in a school exam paper what was deemed as derogatory remarks against Islam. The attack, blamed on the Popular Front of India (PFI), resulted in an explosion of reports compiling evidence of “a slow but steady Talebanization” of the state over the past two decades. In recent days, police raids on PFI offices in Kozhikode and Kannur districts uncovered bombs and other deadly weapons. At the home of a PFI official in Ernakulam, police reportedly found the minutes of a meeting that had discussed plans to monitor the preparedness of the Indian Navy at the Southern Naval Command, Kochi. India's intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), says extremists from Kerala have been going to Pakistan since 1992. In 2008, four Keralites were killed by security forces in Indian-held Kashmir. Keralites have also been implicated or arrested for their involvement in terrorist attacks in their state and in neighboring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Kerala police link the jihadist activities to Pakistan's ISI, the Taleban and Al-Qaeda. If you are a typical Kerala Muslim reading this, you'd have thrown up in disgust by now over how easily a paranoid India media has damned a whole lot of true-blue Malayalees who know nothing more than – and take undeniable pride in – well, simply being Malayalee. The problem in Kerala is far more than religious extremism. Ask any Keralite and he'll tell you about vote-bank politics, unemployment, worker rights and strikes – all long ossified problems that affect every aspect of life in the state. Unfortunately, while the neighboring states are fast overcoming these problems to make the most of the country's ongoing economic success story, Kerala is still caught in a time warp with both its electorate and political leaders endlessly locked in callous argument that project nothing more than their perverse Malayalee trait. Some days ago, Kerala's Communist Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan incurred the wrath of Muslim organizations and political parties for stating that the radical Popular Front was out to turn the state into a Muslim-majority land through their communal and divisive activities. The mainstream Indian Union Muslim League slammed Achuthanandan for his “dangerous” statement “insulting the entire community.” This is just one example of the dangerous polarization that could be taking place in Kerala because of its politicians. Diehard Malayalees, however, dismiss the recent symptoms of communal violence and say the time-tested cohesiveness of Malayalee culture will prevail. They speak about Mammooty and Mohanlal, Star Singer on Asianet, Jesudas, the latest M.G. Sreekumar mimic, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Vaikkam Mohamad Bashir, Kamala Das, Sreesanth, Resul Pookutty and the many other commonalities that firmly bind the Kerala people together, including tapioca and fish curry made all the more appetizing with or without “a appetizer.” There's also one other common thread running through every Malayalee, ample evidence of which can be found in their social movements, voting patterns, literature, cinema scrpits, and acerbic wit. It's their tendency to defy the norm. And the norm today is to make the Muslim, wherever he is, a scapegoat. – SG Feedback: [email protected] __
