Roland E. Miller is Professor Emeritus of Islam and World Religions at Luther College, University of Regina, and Professor Emeritus at Luther Seminary, Minnesota. He is the author of Muslims and the Gospel: Bridging the Gap: A Reflection on Christian Sharing and Mappila Muslims of Kerala: A Study in Islamic Trends.

• PrefaceA Note on Foreign Terms and StylePart I. The Becoming of Mappila Muslim Culture: A Remarkable Development and a Symbol of Hope 1. The Mappilas and Their Composite Culture SettingMappila IdentityThe Malayalam Cultural SettingThe Islamic Cultural Setting2. The Emergence of the Mappila People and Their CultureThe Historical ShapingThe Cultural Legacy3. The Issue of a Possible Indo-Muslim Influence on Mappila CultureTwo Language WorldsDevelopmental Contrasts and Sporadic Culture ContactsThe European Cultural Intrusion and Its Connecting RoleIndo-Muslim Influences on the Mappilas: A Summary4. The Four Pillars of Mappila TraditionalismThe Pillar of ArabicThe Pillar of the Qur’anTraditionalist Religious EducationTraditionalist Clergy and Their Training5. The Great Transition in Mappila Culture: Four Change FactorsTheological ReformThe Impact of CommunismModern Secular EducationThe impact of Gulf Money and Gulf CustomConclusion6. Mappila Character and Personality TodayMythical Elements in the Mappila ImageThe Mappila Character and PersonalityThe Sense of Being MappilaPart II. The Being of Mappila Muslim Culture: A Profile of Changing Customs and Notable Achievements 7. Key Life Moments: Birth, Marriage, DeathPregnancy, Birth, and Early ChildhoodFamily PlanningMarriageDivorce: The Practices and the ProblemOld Age and Death8. Family Custom: Home Life, Interrelationships, InheritanceThe Mappila Home and Its Rhythm of LifeMutual Interrelations within the FamilyThe Mappila Inheritance PatternThe Marumakkathāyam or Matrilineal Tradition9. Aspects of Personal BehaviorMappila OccupationsMappila Dress and OrnamentationMappila FoodCleanliness, Pollution, and SanitationTabus: Stimulants and Extramarital BehaviorPleasures and Role Models10. The Landscape of Mappila Social Behavior: Group Distinctions, Educational Variety, Political Alignments, Theological Factions, Decision Making Group Distinctions: Arab Descent, Caste-Like Clans, Class FeaturesCurrent Educational ProfileMappila Political AlignmentsThe Mappila Political AlignmentsThe Mappila Theological FactionsThe Community’s Decision-Making Processphoto gallery follows page 23211. Social Behavior (cont’d): Leadership and Some Selected Leaders, Community Service, Community RelationsMappila Leadership Resources and Representative LeadersMappila Social Service and TrustsMappila Relations with Non-Muslims12. Religious Rituals and Festivals: Saints and SuperstitionThe Prescribed RitualsMajor and Minor FestivalsThe Mappila Respect for SaintsThe Celebration of the SaintsSuperstition and Magic13. Mappila Artistic Expression: Mosque Architecture, Embellished Houses, the Material Arts, Song, and DanceMosque ArchitectureEmbellished HomesThe Material ArtsMappila Music: Song, Instruments, and Dance14. Mappila LiteratureMalayalam Literature Is Born: Mappilas Remain AloofArabic Literature and the Mappilas: An Unfulfilled VisionArabic-Malayalam Literature: A Synthetic MediumLiterature in Malayalam Enters the Cultural SceneMappila Journals and NewspapersMappila Novelists in Malayalam: A Cultural WaveMappila Nonfiction WritersMappila PoetryConclusion: The Significance of Mappila CultureA Resource for Wider Cultural UnderstandingThe Implication that a Cultural Renaissance is PossibleThe Importance of Determined Behavioral ChangeAppendix A: Islamic and Malayalam Terms for CultureAppendix B: The Ali Raja Kingdom in KannurAppendix C: The Origins of Traditionalism in the Islamic Heartlands and Its StructureAppendix D: The Nizamiyya SyllabusAppendix E: Mappila Culture on the Laccadive Island (Lakshwadeep)NotesGlossaryBibliographyIndex