| Total population |
|---|
| 4,592,854 |
| Regions with significant populations |
| • India • Pakistan |
| Languages |
| Religion |
|
• Sunni, Shia, Shia Ismaili |
| Related ethnic groups |
The term Gujarati Muslims is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the State of Gujarat in west India, who speaks the Gujarati Language as a mother-tongue ( first language ) and follows certain customs different from the rest of Indian Muslims. Gujarati Muslims are very prominent in Industry and medium-sized businesses, and there is a very large Gujarati Muslim community in Mumbai.[1] Many members of this community migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and have settled in Karachi and Sindh. There are also Gujarati Muslim communities settled in the United Kingdom, particularly in the towns of Leicester, Blackburn and Preston.[2] According to the 2001 Census of India, the Gujarati Muslim population was 4,592,854, which is 9.064% of the total population of the state. Most Gujarati Muslims have Gujarati as their mother tongue, but some communities such as the Ansari have Urdu as their mother tongue. [3] The Gujarati Muslims are further sub-divided into groups, such as the Chhipa and Memon, each with their own customs and traditions.[4] Famous Gujarati Muslims include Badruddin Tyabji, a Congress president and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan.
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Located in the westermost portion of central India, Gujarat includes the region of Kutch, Saurashtra, and the territories between the rivers Banas and Damanganga. Islam came early to Gujarat, with immigrant communities of Arab trading communities settling on the western seacoast of India as early as the 8th Century A.D. They were later joinded by Persian traders. Many of these early merchants were Ismaili, both Mustaali and Nizari. They laid the foundation of the Bohra and Khoja communities. Gujarat at this time was ruled by the Valabhi dynasty. In the thirteenth century, the last Hindu ruler Karna, was defeated by Alauddin Khilji, the Turkic Sultan of Dehli. This ushered a period of five centuries of Muslim Turkic and Mughal ruler. This led to a conversion of a number of Hindu Gujarati people to Islam, and led to the creation of new communities such as the Molesalam and Miyana communities.
In the sixteenth century, the Memon community immigrated from Sindh and settled in Kutch and Kathiawar. While in Bharuch and Surat, a schism occurred among the Bohras, and new community of Sunni Bohras was created. Another Muslim sect, the Mahdawi also settled in Gujarat, and led to the creation of the Tai community. In 1593, the Mughal Emperor Akbar conquered Gujarat, and incorporated Gujarat in the Mughal Empire. This period led to the settlement of the Mughal community. A good many Sayyid and Shaikh families also are said to arrived during the period of Mughal rule. After the death of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in 1707, Mughal rule began weaken after ruling for a century. Most of Gujarat fell to the Marathas, and this period saw the dispersal of further Pathan and Baluch, who came as mercenaries and were destroyed or defeated by the Marathas. Gujarat fell to British in the late 19th Century.[5]
| District Name | Headquarter (City) | Population (2001) | Muslim Population (2001) | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bharuch | Bharuch | 1,370,656 | 293,459 | 21% |
| Kutch | Bhuj | 1,583,225 | 329,254 | 21% |
| Jamnagar | Jamnagar | 1,904,278 | 270,223 | 14% |
| Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad | 5,816,519 | 662,799 | 11% |
| Anand | Anand | 1,856,872 | 199,263 | 11% |
| Junagadh | Junagadh | 2,448,173 | 274,481 | 11% |
| Kheda | Kheda | 2,024,216 | 218,660 | 11% |
| Patan | Patan | 1,182,709 | 119,748 | 10% |
| Rajkot | Rajkot | 3,169,881 | 292,676 | 9 % |
| Surat | Surat | 4,995,174 | 447,951 | 9% |
| Vadodara | Vadodara | 3, 641,802 | 317,194 | 9% |
| Banaskantha | Palanpur | 2,504,244 | 170,142 | 7% |
| Bhavnagar | Bhavnagar | 2,469,630 | 172,740 | 7% |
| Surendranagar | Surendranagar | 1,515,148 | 97,846 | 7% |
| Amreli District | Amreli | 1,393,918 | 83,077 | 6% |
| Mehsana | Mehsana | 1,837,892 | 113,631 | 6% |
| Navsari | Navsari | 1,229,463 | 69,972 | 6% |
| Panchmahal | Godhra | 2,025,277 | 120,676 | 6% |
| Porbandar | Porbandar | 536,854 | 2,294 | 6% |
| Sabarkantha | Himmatnagar | 2,082,531 | 117,806 | 6% |
| Valsad | Valsad | 1,410,553 | 66,440 | 5% |
| Narmada | Rajpipla | 514,404 | 20,429 | 4% |
| Dahod | Dahod | 1,636,433 | 52,632 | 3% |
| Gandhinagar | Gandhinagar | 1,334,455 | 50,559 | 3% |
| The Dangs | Ahwa | 186,729 | 2,792 | 1.5% |
Gujarati Muslim society has a unique custom known as Jamat Bandi, literally meaning communal solidarity. This system is the traditional expression of communal solidarity. It is designed to regulate the affairs of the community and apply sanctions against infractions of the communal code. Almost all the main Gujarat communities, such as the Memon, Chhipa, Ghanchi, Khoja, Bohra and Sunni Bohra have caste associations, known as jamats. Social organization at the Jamat Bandi level varies from community to community. In some communities, the Jamat simply runs a mosque and attached rest house, and a madrasah. Some larger communities, such as the Bohra and Khoja have developed elaborate and highly formalized systems with written and registered constitutions. Their organizations own large properties, undertake housing projects and schools, dispensaries and weekly newspapers. Perhaps the Memon have most formalized jamats, with census of community members, and distinct residential colonies.[5]
Historically, each of the Muslim communities are endogamous. The communities practice both cross-cousin and parallel cousin marriages.[7] Recent studies of Gujarati Muslims in the United Kingdom have shown that endogamy remains important.[8] There are approximately 130 communities, with membership ranging from 65,000 to as low as 100 individuals. Among the largest Muslim communities are the Shaikhs, Sunni Bohras, Ghanchi, Pathans, Memon and Daudi Bohras. Each of these communities were traditionally associated with particular occupations. Important trading communities include the Alavi Bohra, Daudi Bohra, Khoja, Memon, Sulaymani Bohra and Vyapari. Other communities are associated with particular trade, and are similar to guilds in medieval Europe. For example the Chundrigar were silk printers, the Ghanchi were oil pressers, the Ansari were weavers. The greater mechanization of the Indian economy has seen as a decline in their traditional occupation, and these communities have suffered an economic decline. However the majority of Gujarati Muslim are small and medium sized farmers, and larger communities such as the Sunni Bohra, Molesalam, Pathan and Shaikh are all traditionally farmers.
The region of Kutch has always been historically distinct, with the Muslims their accounting for about twenty percent of the population. This region is characterised by salt desserts, such as the Rann of Kutch. Because of this landscape, the Kutch Muslims are Maldhari pastoral nomads found in the Banni region of Kutch. Most of them are said to have originated in Sindh, and speak a dialect of Kutchi which has many Sindhi loanwords. Major Maldhari communities include the Jath, Halaypotra, Hingora, Hingorja, Juneja and Samma tribes.[9]
Gujarati Muslim society is roughly divided into four major groupings, each of whom have traditional occupations. The major Gujarati Muslim sub-groups include – [4]
Here is a brief description of the various Muslim communities, starting with those who claim actual or putative foreign descent.
| Community | Sect | Clans | Language | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sayyid | Sunni and Ithna Ashri Shia | Shirazi, Mattari, Bukhari, Naqvi, Tirmizi, Zaidi, Rifai, Bhaktari, Qadiris, Chishti, Mahdawai, Kitoi, Mashadi, Idrusi, and Bahraini | Gujarati and Urdu | found throughout Gujarat |
| Shaikh | Sunni | Hashemi, Siddiqui, Qureshi, Farooqi, and Osmani in Gujarat and Shaikh Dada, Shaikh Syed and Shaikh Faqir in Kutch | Gujarati and Kutchi | found throughout Gujarat |
| Pathan | Sunni | Babi, Sama, Khanzada, Yousafzai, Lohani, Ghori, Suleiymani, Surat Turk, Miana and Zadran | Gujarati and Urdu | found throughout Gujarat |
| Mughal | Sunni and Ithna Ashri Shia | Two sub-groups, the Irani who are Shia and the Turani who are Sunni | Gujarati and Urdu | found throughout Gujarat |
| Arabs | Sunni | Akvon, Acari, Ansari, Anuj, Kathiri, and Qureshi | Gujarati | Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Panchmahal and Surat |
| Siddis | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Saurashtra, mainly in Junagadh District |
| Baluchis | Sunni and Ithna Ashri Shia | Gabol, Lashari, Birri, Gopang, Sukhe, Hooth and Korai | Gujarati | Saurashtra and Kutch |
| Makrani | Sunni | Askani, Baluch, Umarzai, Rind-Baluch, Mulkajee and Gudizai | Gujarati | Saurashtra |
| Community | Sect | Language | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alavi Bohra | Shia Ismaili Mustaali | Gujarati | Mainly in Vadodara District |
| Dawoodi Bohra | Shia Ismaili Mustaali | Gujarati | throughout Gujarat |
| Doodwala | Sunni | Gujarati | throughout Gujarat |
| Khoja | Shia Ismaili Nizari | Gujarati and Kutchi | found throughout Gujarat |
| Memon who are further divided into the Kathiawadi, Kutch, Juberi and Okhai Memon communities | Sunni | Gujarati, Kutchi and their own language known as Memoni | Found mainly in Kutch and Saurashtra |
| Patni Jamat | Sunni | Gujarati | Found in Veraval, Govindpura, Naodra, Kalji, Chourbad, Keshod and Junagadh. |
| Sulaymani Bohra | Shia Ismaili Mustaali | Gujarati | Found throughout Gujarat |
| Vyapari | Sunni | Gujarati | Viramgam and Dholka talukas of Ahmedabad District |
| Community | Sect | Clans | Language | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunni Bohra | Sunni, both Deobandi and Barelvi | Charotar, Patani, Kadiwal, Bharuch and Surat Jamats | Gujarati | found mainly in Bharuch, Ahmedabad, Mehsana and Surat districts |
| Agaria | Sunni | None | Kutchi | Kutch |
| Bhati | Sunni | None | Gujarati and Marwari | Bharuch and Banaskantha districts |
| Chauhan | Sunni | None | Gujarati and Marwari | north Gujarat |
| Dafer | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Saurashtra |
| Jat | Sunni | Halai Jat (found in Jamnagar and Porbandar), Verai Jat (Banaskantha District), and Kutchi Jat (found in Kutch District) | Gujarati and Kutchi | Saurashtra and Kutch |
| Kasbatis Rajputs | Sunni | Sayyid, Mughal, Qureshi, Shaikh, Pathan, Parmar, Ghori, Rathore, Kokwana, Bhelim, Khokhar and Soomra | Gujarati | through Gujarat |
| Khokhar | Sunni | None | Gujarati | |
| Maliks | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Kheda District |
| Makwanas | Sunni | None | Gujarati | north Gujarat |
| Mandali | Sunni | Kachhote, Salar, Patadia, Waria, Barogia, Adi and Panghed | Gujarati | Ahmedabad District |
| Miyana | Sunni | Manek, Bhati, Dhona, Kathia, Mour, Ladhani, Malani, Samani, Musani, Jain, Kher, Makwana, Sadhwami, nd Baidmulla | Gujarati and Kutchi | Kutch and Saurashtra |
| Molesalam Rajputs | Sunni | Gujarati | ||
| Momna | Ithna Ashri Shia | Gujarati | ||
| Nayak | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Banaskantha District and Saurashtra |
| Muslim Patel | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Bharuch District |
| Shaikhda | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Godhra, Baroda and Ahmedabad |
| Rathore | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts |
| Parmar | Sunni | None | Gujarati | north Gujarat |
| Sandhai Muslims | Sunni | Shetha clans. Their major clans include the Sameja, Samma, Jadeja, Nareja, Dal, Gothi, Solanki, Virsa, Theba, Nayi, Bafars, Hala, Shetha, and Khokhar | Gujarati and Kutchi | Kutch and Saurashtra |
| Sanghar | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Saurashtra and Mandvi Taluka of Kutch |
| Solankis | Sunni | None | Gujarati | north Gujarat |
| Surti Muslims | Sunni | None | Gujarati | Surat District |
| Wagher | Sunni | Chamdia, Notitar, Chowra, Sodha, Mendani, Chauhan, Manak, Sumania, Juneja, Kero, Bhati, Koda and Ruchcher | Kutchi | Okha Taluka of Jamnagar District |
The Kutch region of Gujarat is home to a number of cattle rearing tribal communities, known as the Maldhari. Most of them speak Kutchi, with large Sindhi loanwords. All the Maldhari are Sunnis. Here is a list of the larger communities.[10]
| Community | Sect | Traditional Occupation | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdal | Sunni Sufi | singing and begging at Sufi shrines | Ahmedabad |
| Ansari | Sunni | weavers | Junagarh, Surat, Ahmedabad and Bharuch |
| Attarwala | Shia | perfumers | Ahmedabad |
| Bhadala | Sunni | fishermen and sailors | Kutch District |
| Bharbhunja | Sunni | grain parchers | Ahmedabad and Surat |
| Bhishti | Sunni | water carriers | Ahmadabad |
| Chhipa | (Sunni Barelvi/Deobandi) | calico printers | throughout Gujarat |
| Chundrigar | Sunni | silk knot printers | |
| Chunara | Sunni | manufacturers of lime | |
| Dhobi | Sunni | washermen | |
| Dhuldhoya | Sunni | ||
| Faqir | mendicants | ||
| Galiara | Sunni | ||
| Ghanchi | Sunni | oil pressers | |
| Ghanchi-Pinjara | Sunni | oil pressers | |
| Kadia | Sunni | ||
| Kagzi | Sunni | paper manufacturers | |
| Khalipha | Sunni | barbours | |
| Khateek | Sunni | goat meat butchers | |
| Langha | Sunni | ||
| Machiyar | Sunni | fishermen | |
| Manihar | Sunni | bangle makers | through out Gujarat |
| Mansoori | Sunni | cotton carders | through out Gujarat |
| Mirasi | Sunni | genealogist | through out Gujarat |
| Multani | Sunni | ||
| Multani Lohar | Sunni | ||
| Muslim Rangrez | Sunni | dyers | through out Gujarat |
| Nagori | Sunni | blacksmiths | through out Gujarat |
| Panar | Sunni | weavers | Dholka in Ahmedabad District |
| Salaat | Sunni | stone masons | Palanpur District |
| Soni | Sunni | goldsmiths | through out Gujarat |
| Turk Jamat | Sunni | soldiers | Kathiawar |
| Tai | Mahdawi | weavers | Viramgam, Dharangadhra and Ahmadabad |
There are many notable Gujarati Muslims:
The cuisine of the Gujarati Muslims is exactly identical to that of traditional Gujarati dishes. However, meat is incorporated in their cuisines, which is rarely eaten in vegetarian Gujarat. Meat is eaten by Gujarati Muslims primarily in their own respective households. Such examples are chicken, fish, eggs, goat, and lamb are consumed, especially the last two for Eid al-Adha which involves sacrificing an animal of that kind for the recognition on how the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) sacrificed his son, Ismail (Ishmael) to Allah. Beef seems to be a rarity of being eaten, although they happen to consume it as well.
TwoCircles.net series on Gujarat's Muslims