(Malayalam mappila), a fanatical Mahommedan sect found in Malabar. The Moplahs, who number upwards of a million, are believed to be descended from Arab immigrants, who landed on the western coast of India in the 3rd century after the Hegira. They are remarkable for the fanaticism displayed in successive attacks upon the Hindus, and they have several times resisted British troops. A regiment of the Indian army was recruited among them, but the experiment proved a failure, and the Moplah Rifles were disbanded in April 1907.