ABSTRACT
Insisting on the use of non-English terms in such contexts would render it almost impossible to talk in any meaningful way about religion, and the authors concerned could themselves be faulted for the use of other terms with similarly problematic, Christian backgrounds. The naturalisation of Malay-ness as unmarked Muslim-ness in public discourse is one of the prime factors that stimulate the perception of 'Indian Islam' as deviant, because it is not 'Malay'. As a result, 'differences' that infringed on the religious domain were experienced as transgressive, and had to be controlled, usually by claiming that the practice of one's own group was closer to, or identical with, Islamic norms. The most important element in perceiving 'Indian Islam' as marked by difference and otherness is the unmarked and normalised character of Islamic practice among Malays. Saint veneration is a conspicuous practice among Tamil-speaking Muslims, and few Muslim practices in South India and Ceylon have received as much attention by scholars.
