Transnational Religion in the Gulf: A Study of Kerala's Sunni Community in Qatar

This thesis examines the historical emergence and development of religious institutions and spaces of Sunni Muslims from Kerala in Qatar since the year 1978. Its particular focus lies on examining institutions and spaces in their interrelation with Qatari society on the one hand and transnational commitments on the other. Based largely upon ethnographic data, the thesis provides the first account of this numerically significant community. This thesis illustrates the evolution of their religious organization from a collective of people organized for the sake of raising funds for the home institutions, to a locally-grounded lively institution, which responds to the needs and preferences of the migratory context by focusing more on imparting religious instruction, and social services to the migrants. In contrast, while retaining their focus of activism in the migratory context, they strengthen their connections with the home institutions. In addition, this study of diverse and alternative religious Muslim spaces, mostly invisible and managed by local migrants, show the social power and strategies that these migrants possess in maneuvering their transnational religious lives. Finally, this study also puts forth a different perspective in analyzing Qatar's state regulations and state-religion relations, informed by migrant experiences.