How did Islam become the predominant religion in Lakshadweep?

The conversion of the inhabitants of Lakshadweep to Islam was a gradual process driven by sustained external contact. While the original settlers were migrants from the Malabar Coast who arrived before the 7th century CE, the islands eventually became predominantly Muslim due to Muslim missionary activity that began in the 7th century and ongoing interactions with Arab traders.1

Although the population adopted Islam, the influence of their original Hindu heritage remains visible today through the persistence of a matrilineal kinship system and castelike social structures.1