The Moplahs are a band of fanatic muslims who have descended from arabs, settled in the malabar coast in about the 8th or 9th century AD and married mostly Indian wives. They had over years acquired an unenviable notoriety for crimes perpetuated under the impulse of religious frenzy. They were responsible for 35 minor outbreaks during the british rule, the most terrible being the one that took place in Aug 1921. The Moplah rebellion also known as Mopla riots was a British -Muslim and Hindu-Muslimconflict in Kerala that movement and the Karachi resolution fuelled the fires of rebellion.
A rumour spread amongst the Moplahs that the British rule had ended and the Islamic Caliphate had been reestablished in Delhi.
According to one view, the reasons for the Moplahs rebellion were religious revivalism among the Muslim Moplahs, and dissatisfaction of the land owning Hindu Nnair community and the British administration that without doubt the latter. because of lack of support from the from any muslim ruler and leader from any of the muslim countries, the movement had lost its raison d'etre in 1921. But in Kerala, some extra zealous Muslim fanatics had circulated rumours that the Khilafat movement crowned with success and that tht the British regime had had come to an end.
The Mullahs and Maulvis soon appointed Mohammad Haji as their callipand gave a call of jehad ( holy war) against the british. The passions of the local Muslims-Moplas-were in flamed and they started riotson an unprecedected scale.the British authorities suppessed these with n iron hand and killed the rioters numbering 226, wounded 1615, captured 5688, and 38656 surrendered. The Caliph haji mohammad and his associate fell in to British hands. they were courtmarshaled and hanged . 150 Moplahs whomwere carried from alicut to Madras in a goods train under the scorching sun, were all in a prcarious condition, 66 of them had actually died on the way.
