Kozhikode: For the Muslim community in Kozhikode, the 22nd day of the holy month of Ramzan is a day to remember a tragic event in the city’s history. On this day in 1510, the Portuguese attacked the Mishkal Mosque and set it on fire. However, this incident united the ruling Zamorin and the Muslims in resistance against the Portuguese invasion.
As a mark of respect and reconciliation, members of the Kozhikode Khasi community led by the Khasi Foundation met K C Unni Anujan Raja, a descendant of the Zamorin of Calicut, at 4.45 pm on Tuesday and exchanged gifts, reports New Indian Express. -be provided.
Read – God’s Door… Here there is only one gate of temple and mosque, moon and star on one side and Om on the other side.
A bustling center of commerce in Malabar, Kozhikode saw a mix of cultures as foreign business elites settled here. Among them were Arabs whose relations with the local Zamorin rulers fueled the city’s prosperity. This growth attracted the attention of European powers such as the Portuguese, Dutch and English, who tried to challenge the trade monopoly of the Arabs.
How did the fire start?
Tensions increased as European powers turned against both the Arab and Zamorin rulers. The hostilities resulted in the destruction of cultural sites, including the Mishkaal Mosque, which was set on fire by the Portuguese navy under the orders of Alfonso de Albuquerque on January 3, 1510, the 22nd day of Ramadan. The attack on the mosque prompted both Muslim and Nair soldiers loyal to the Zamorin to join forces in resistance and target the English-held Chaliyam fort.
As Muslims of Kozhikode remember this tragic day, they not only honor the memory of their ancestors’ struggles, but also stress the importance of unity and reconciliation in the face of historical injustice.
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Tags: Kerala News, Mosque
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 3, 2024, 12:33 IST