Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The paper focuses how global Muslim political issues have become a matter of concern of the political parties in the state of Kerala, particularly in light of globalization. The study argues two major reasons for the translocal politics in Kerala. The first is large scale migration to the Arabian Gulf Countries in the post-1990s and the anxiety over Muslim global issues; and the second is the impact of communication networks, which reduces the distance of people and locality. The constant interactions of Kerala Muslim migrants with global Muslim communities create a feeling of ‘Ummah’ and open up new discourse on Muslim politics. The study stress that the Gulf War of the 1990s; the intervention of Israel on Palestine; the politics of US toward many Islamic countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan; the racial discrimination and the Islamophobia of West, etc., play a major role in the local political sensibilities of the state. On the other, national issues such as the demolition of Babri Masjid and the subsequent Hindu Muslim communal violence mediate the construction of new identity consciousness among the Muslims of Kerala. The emergence of new Muslim social and political organizations in solidarity with Muslim Ummah to overcome the stigma of religious and ethnic concerns produced different forms of ‘Muslim political identity choices’ among the community. The study further looks how the shift in Muslim politics affect the larger socio-political network of the state. Finally, it argues that the idea of Ummah is a transnational political entity and cannot be confined to the regional or national network. The work is based on the ‘travelling theories’ along with the primary and secondary materials such as election pamphlets and posters, speeches of the political leaders, and interviews.