The Moplah Rebellion of 1921 broke out in Kerala. It was an armed uprising against British authority in the Malabar region of Southern India by tenants and the culmination of a series of Mappila revolts that recurred throughout the 19 th century and early 20th century. The 1921 riot began as a reaction against landlords and British a heavy-handed crackdown on the Khilafat Movement.