As Maraikkayar traders withdrew from the Penang port, other Tamil Muslims stepped up to take their place. In the early 20th century, the port elite consisted of Maraikkayars, Rawthers and other groups. The Rawther (Rowther) are known as urban traders in Tamil Nadu. In Penang, a few Rawther families controlled the lighter trade whereas many other Rawthers managed small businesses. The Rawthers were less likely to assimilate with the Malays because of their Hanafi’i mazhab. RELIGIOUS IDENTITY The Muslim community constantly turned to Tamil Muslim merchants for sponsorship of religious causes. Seena Aminsahib, Oothman Saiboo, Shakkarai Rawther and Seeni Rawther were members of the Mohamedan Advisory Board. They gave generously to mosques and Muslim schools and also sat on the board of the Al-Mashoor School. Although they acted as patrons to the larger Muslim and Malay community, they upheld their own Tamil Muslim religious identity. When P.K. Shakkarai Rawthar was president of the Muslim Mahajana Sabha in 1930, he called a special general meeting to discuss a certain offending trade mark on sarongs. After discussion from the religious point of view it was unanimously magreed that the words were in every respect against the religion and immediate steps be taken to deal with the matter. A sub-committee was formed P.K. Shakkarai Rawthar, V.S. Madar Sahib, A.S. Md. Hussain, M. A. Pitchay Ganny and S.M. Hossain was elected for the purpose. The test came about when Muslim Mahajana Sabha had to defend their religious culture in court. In 1934, Shakkarai Rawther was slandered by the Malay paper Bumiputera and accused of sponsoring an un-Islamic cultural practice. In response, the plaintiffs K.L.M. Mohamed Abdul Kader, P.K. Shakkirai Rowther and the committee of the Muslim Mahajana Sabha, Penang, took out a libel suit against the M. Mohamed Ibrahim and Mohamed Amin and the Commercial Press. ---- ah it seems my family had always had trouble with the bumiputera. haha. Further reading suggested that some Rawthers went to Singapore too.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 02:18:31 +0000
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