Ossan is a community/status group ofMuslims inKerala, south India. The Ossan men were the traditionalcircumcisers[1] among the Muslims of the centralMalabar Coast (northern Kerala).[2][3] The Ossan women were experts in pre- and post-delivery care of pregnant women (midwifery). The Ossann the Kerala Muslim community of Muslims[2]
It is speculated that the original form of the title Ossan is "Otthaan", derived from the Arabic wordKhatthaan meaning an expert practitioner of circumcision.
The Ossans were formerly considered as a low status group among the Muslims of Kerala. Ossan community is still figured as a financially backward group among some of the Muslim families in Kerala. Matrimonial alliances with financially elite Muslim families are rare in some parts of Kerala.[1][3]
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