Tamil Muslim

Tamil Muslims are Tamils who practise Islam. The community is 6 million in India, primarily in the state of Tamil Nadu where 70% of the Muslim community identified themselves as Tamils. In Tamil Nadu, the majority of Tamil-speaking Muslims belong to the Rowther, Marakkayar, Labbai, and Kayalar clans. Other Muslims in the region are descendants of unions between Arab-origin Moorish Muslims and Tamil women, as well as local converts. However, the majority of these individuals are native Tamils who converted influenced by Tajuddin Cheraman Perumal. There is a substantial diaspora, particularly in Southeast Asia, which has seen their presence as early as the 13th century. In the late 20th century, the diaspora expanded to Western Europe, Persian Gulf and North America. A separate Tamil-speaking Muslim population also exists in Sri Lanka known as the Sri Lankan Moors, who do not identify as Tamils but are a mixture of Arab, Persian, South Indian and Malay ancestries of which the Dravidian element is predominant because of centuries of heavy Indian injection. These Tamil speaking Muslim communities in Sri Lanka were known as the Sonakar, which is derived from the term Yona, originally meaning a Moors. Though numerically nominal, the community is not homogeneous. Its origin is shaped by centuries trade between the Bay of Bengal and the Maritime Southeast Asia. By the 20th century, certain Tamil races began to be listed as social classes in official gazettes of different nations as Rowther, Marakkar, and Labbay. Rowther The Rowther community is a landowning community settled in the deltaic districts and Southern districts of Tamil Nadu. They were famous for their cavalry and horse trade. Politicians Quaid-e-Millath, Dewan Khan Bahadur Khalifulla Sahib(he was the first Muslim from Madras Presidency go to London for studies),Karim Ghani veteran freedom fighter and a close associate of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, First woman judge of Supreme court of india Fathima Beevi, Poets like Umaru Pulavar, Kunangudi Masthan Sahib, Fourth Nakkeerar Gulam Kadir Navalar, Dawood Shah all are from Rowther Community.