Syed Abdurrahiman Bafaqi (1905—1973) was an Indian community leader and politician from Kerala.[1][2] Until his death in the early 1970s, Bafaqi Thangal remained the most prominent Muslim political leader in Kerala.[2][3] He is generally credited with transforming the perception of Indian Union Muslim League inside Kerala.[4]
Abdurrahiman Bafaqi Thangal | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 19 February 1906 |
| Died | 19 January 1973 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | Indian |
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| Website | bafakhythangaltrust |
| Signature | |
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Abdurrahiman Bafaqi Thangal belonged to a sayyid family of jurists (the "Ba Faqih") in north Kerala.[5][6] The Yemeni-origin family was settled in Kerala in the early 18th century.[6][5] The Bafaqi Thangals were also a prominent business family of the city of Kozhikode (by being international rice dealers).[3]
Bafaqi Thangal was born to Abdul Qadir Bafaqi Thangal and Fathima Mulla Beevi on 19 February 1906 at Koyilandy.[5] After the studies at Ponnani, he moved to the lucrative export business at Calicut, became a powerful Calicut businessman and eventually established the Bafaqi and Company at Yangon, Myanmar.[5][3]
Bafaqi Thangal entered active politics in 1936 as a campaigner against an All-India Muslim League candidate from Kozhikode-Kurumbranad Constituency.[5] He subsequently joined the League (1938), and rapidly rose to become the President of the Malabar Muslim League.[5] He also helped to persuade Panakkad Pukkoya Thangal, a sayyid community leader from South Malabar, to join the League.[5] When Kerala State was formed in 1956, he was chosen as the President of the Kerala State Muslim League.[5][1]
Bafaqi Thangal also served as the leader of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyat al-Ulama.[5] He is remembered for his organisation of the sector of madarasa education (institutions where children receive basic Islamic education) in Kerala.[3]
Bafaqi Thangal is generally credited for
- Transforming the perception Indian Union Muslim League inside Kerala.[4]
- Representing all the differences within the large Kerala Muslim community.[4]
- Forming an alliance with the P. S. P. in the 1957 assembly elections.[5]
- Joining the Liberation Struggle against the Communist government.[5]
- Successfully negotiating with the Congress (1959-60) and the Left (1967 and 1969) leadership for the Muslim League.[5][4]
- Founder of Bafakhy Yatheemkhanain Valavannur 1979
Bafaqi Thangal died in 1973 (while on the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca) and was interred in Mecca.[5]
Family
editBafaqi Thangal had married five times.[7]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Miller, Roland. E., "Mappila" in "The Encyclopedia of Islam". Volume VI. E. J. Brill, Leiden. 1987. pp. 458-56.
- ^ a b Miller, Roland E., Mappila Muslim Culture. New York, State University of New York Press, 2015. pp. 100-102, 268.
- ^ a b c d Miller, Roland E., Mappila Muslim Culture. New York, State University of New York Press, 2015. pp. 100-102, 268.
- ^ a b c d Nossiter, T. J. (1982). Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation. University of California Press. p. 228.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Randhathani, Hussain (18 January 2013). "Bafaki Tangal (biography)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2020.
- ^ a b Osella, F., and C. Osella. "Islamism and Social Reform in Kerala, South India." Modern Asian Studies, vol. 42, no. 2-3, 2008, pp. 317–346.
- ^ a b c d e f Randhathani, Hussain. "Ba Faqih Sayyids OF Kerala" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2020.