Migration and Settlement of Tamil Muslims in Penang, 1780–1840

In 1786, Captain Francis Light established an English East India Company (EIC) settlement in Penang, a largely uninhabited island that belonged to the Sultan of Kedah and located in the northern passage of the Straits of Melaka. The Company acquired the island from Kedah’s ruler for the twin purposes of serving as a naval base and for procuring goods for the Company’s trade with China. While Penang did not live up to its promise as a naval base and dockyard, it emerged as a regional entrepôt and attracted migrants from India, China, and the neighbouring Malay states.

This paper focuses on Tamil-speaking Muslims, who were one of the earliest migrants to Penang. Several differences existed among this broad category of migrants. Some came from South India, whereas others came from Malay states in Penang’s neighbourhood, where they had already settled. Some Tamil Muslims came to Penang for trade and returned to their homeports, whereas others settled in Penang and became part of a diverse society of migrant communities from other regions in the Indian Ocean world. In discussing this migrant community, I will focus on the impact of Penang’s status as an island entrepôt on the pattern of migration of Tamil Muslims to Penang.

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