Momin Ansari

Momin or Ansari

Total population
14,909,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan •  India •    Nepal
Languages
Urdu • Hindi
Religion
Islam 100%
Related ethnic groups
Shaikh Ansari • Kori • Shaikh • Behna • Khumra

The Momin Ansari (Urdu: مومن أنصاري ‎) or Ansari, are a Muslim community, found mainly in east and North India, and the province of Sindh in Pakistan. A small number of Ansaris are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. The community is believed to be an offshoot of the Hindu weaver caste who converted to Islam, and are sometimes called Julaha.^[2] In North India, the community are known as Ansari, while in Maharashtra the community is known as Momin.^{[3]:982 [4]:1473–1478} .

History and origin

The Momin Ansari (Historically known as Julaha) are a community of Muslim weavers. According to some sources, they are descended from a number of Hindu weaving castes, principally the Kori, that at some time in the past converted to Islam. The word Julaha (جولاهه) is of Persian origin meaning "weaver", originating from the word jula juha, meaning "a ball of thread". . It is possible that Ansari are an amalgamation of a number of different communities, being Hindu converts to Islam.^[3]:982

The community are found throughout East and North India, but Varanasi District, in Uttar Pradesh, is always looked at by most Momin as the centre of their community. In that city, the Ansari are said to make a third of the city's population. Important Ansari neighbourhoods in the city include Madanpura, Adampura and Jaitpura.^[5]

Present circumstances

The Momin of North India are mainly a landless community, but some of them are small and medium scale farmers, and have always been connected with the art of weaving. Some many members of the community have entered private or government service. Their relationship with the Sadh community of some importance, as they supply the Momins with the cotton cloth, used for printing.^[3]:985

The Momin do not have any traditional social councils, but have an India-wide community organization, the All India Momin Conference. They are an endogamous community, only rarely marrying out of their group. There is no system of gotras, and cross and parallel cousin marriages are common. The community considers itself to be of Shaikh status, and if no suitable match is found within the group, marriages are acceptable within other communities in the Shaikh category.

The Momin are Muslims of the Sunni sect, and are fairly orthodox, but are divided along sectarian lines between the Barelwis and Deobandis. Historically, the community produced the sage and philosopher, Kabir, and some members of the community had been Kabirpanthi. The Ansari are an Urdu speaking community, although the Garana Ansari of Gujarat have Gujarati as their mother tongue.^[3]:984

In Bihar

The Ansari community is found throughout Bihar and Jharkhand. In Bihar, they are found in all the districts. They are active in politics. Their socio-economic condition has been improving constantly. They are playing active roles in all walks of life in Bihar. In Jharkhand, they are mainly found in Koderma, Hazaribagh, Gumla, Ranchi, Lohardaga and Singhbhum districts. They speak the Sadri dialect, which is distinctive to the community, although most have knowledge of Urdu. The community is endogamous, and marry within a close kin group. Like other Ansaris, they were historically weavers, although most of them are medium and small scale farmers. Many of them jiopare market gardeners, and grow and sell potatoes, cabbages and other vegetables, and sell them in Calcuta and Patna. The Momin Conference was founded in Bihar, and the Bihar Ansaris have played a key role in the organization.^[6]

Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz (Urdu: "Marginalised Muslim Front"‎) is an Indian Muslim social reform organization dedicated to the emancipation of the Dalit Muslims belonging to the Arzal "Untouchable" community in the South Asian Muslim caste system. It was founded by Ali Anwar in Patna, Bihar.^[7]

In Gujarat

In Gujarat, there are two distinct communities that are commonly known as Momin, the native Gujarati-speaking Garana Ansari, and the immigrant Shaikh Ansari community, originally from North India. The Garana Ansari community in Gujarat are found mainly in the districts of Junagarh, Ahmedabad, Surat and Kutch. They are also known as Turia and Tari. The Momin have eight clans, the Dhoralia, Mehetar, Mithwani, Rajbani, Kora, Chutani, Arbani and Dhorijiwala. They speak Gujarati with substantial Urdu loanwords. In addition to membership of the Momin Conference, the Gujarat Ansaris also have their own caste association, Garana Sayed Fari Jamaat. The traditional occupation of the Ansari is still weaving. Many of them are engaged in zari work, which involves sari embroidery. This is especially the case in the towns of Jamnagar and Dhoraji, each which have traditional quarters inhabited by the Ansaris. Most Surat and Ahmadabad Ansari are now employed in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited clerk post, and local textile mills.^{[8]:972–976}

The Shaikh Ansari are an Urdu-speaking community, and are said to have immigrated from Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh some three hundred years ago. In Baroda, they were invited by the ruling dynasty to help in the construction of public buildings from Rajasthan. The Shaikh Ansari are divided into four endogamous groups, the Bijnor Ansari, originating from the city of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga Parvala, originating from the village of Gomtipur and its sarrounding in Uttar Pradesh, the Delhiwala, originally from Delhi and finally the Pratapgarh Ansari originating from the city of Pratapgarh and surrounding areas in eastern Uttar Pradesh. They are mainly distributed in the cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Bharuch, Baroda, and Rajpipla.^[8]:69–73

Weaving was the traditional occupation of the Ansari, and at present those in Ahmadabad are still engaged in this activity. Many Ahmadabad Ansari are now power loom owners. But many Shaikh Ansari have also diversified, and now own hotels and bakeries. They are among the more successful Muslim community in the state, having made the transition from their traditional occupation to becoming successful businessmen. The level of literacy is steadily increasing, and many Ansari are now graduates.

The Ansari have no traditional caste association, but are members of the All India Momin Conference. Historically, each of the four sub-divisions would have had their own informal caste association, headed by a chaudhary. These have all but disappeared.

In Rajasthan

The Ansari of Rajasthan claim that they were once warriors, who after a defeat in the past, took to the occupation of weaving. They also known as Deswali Shaikh, and speak the Madri dialect, which is a mixture of Urdu and Hindi. They are one of the larger Muslim communities in Rajasthan, and are found in the districts of Tonk, Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur. The Ansari are strictly endogamous and practice both parallel and cross cousin marriages. There main occupation is weaving, and they use both hand held and power looms. Quite a few are now involved in tailoring and the manufacture of bidis, a local cigarette. The Rajasthan Ansari are members of the Momin Conference, as well as having local informal caste councils, which deal with inter community disputes, while the Momin Conference acts as a pressure group dealing with the state government. The Ansari are Sunni and Deobandi, and have provided many of the Ulema in Rajasthan.^{[9]:459–462}

Momin of Maharashtra

The Momin of Maharashtra are descended from immigrants from North India. They are split into two groupings, the giyara gaonwala and the bais goanwala, the former are found in Ahmadnagar, while the latter are found near Pune. The Momin were historically a community of weavers, found mainly in the towns and cities of western Maharashtra. They are found mainly in the districts of Pune, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Jaina, Osmanabad, Dhule, Nagpur, Thane and Raigarh. The community speak Urdu, but the Momin are bilingual, speaking Marathi as well. They are strictly endogamous, and tend to marry close kin. The Momin are Sunni, and are fairly orthodox community. There traditional occupation was weaving, and many Momin have set uop handlooms. Those Momin who have set up powerlooms tend to be more successful. Many Momin are employed by other Momin in these powerlooms, this especially the case in the towns of Bhiwandi and Nagpur. A significant number of Momin are also employed in the textile industries. The Momin are largely an urban community, with only small number found as agriculturists. Many Momin are now successful entrepreneurs and professionals such as teachers, engineers and doctors. Like other Ansari communities, the Momin are members of the All-India Momin Conference, one of the oldest Muslim communal organizations in India. This organization acts as a welfare organization, as well as lobbying on behalf of the community.^{[4]:1473–1478}

Notables indian Ansari

• Thameemul Ansari, Arab Sufi saint, with shrine in Kovalam, Tamil Nadu
• Brigadier Mohammad Usman (15 July 1912 – 3 July 1948) was the highest ranking officer of Indian Army killed in the
• Mohammad Akram Ansari, (born 1971) , India , Founder and national president of "Momin ansar Sabha"(social oraganisation)
• Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, (Hindi: ख़्वाजा अहमद अब्बास) (7 June 1914 – 1 June 1987), popularly known as K. A. Abbas, was an Indian film director
• Zafar Ishaq Ansari (born 1932), Pakistani scholar of Islamic Studies
• SM Razaullah Ansari (born 1932), Indian physicist
• Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari (born 1936), revolutionary Shiite Muslim leader in Jammu & Kashmir and Founder of Ittihadul Muslimeen
• Muhammad Akram Ansari is a Pakistani politician. He is a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
• Haji Muhammad Hanif Ansari, (Urdu: محمد حنیف انصاری‎) was a politician, businessman and
• Mohammad Hamid Ansari (born 1937), Vice President of India
• Muhammad Hanif Ansari (1937–1985), Pakistani politician, businessman and philatelist
• Aziz Ansari (born 1983), American stand-up comedian
• Faris Muslim al Ansari (born 1984), Afghan held in Guantanamo
• Salim Miya Ansari, Nepalese politician
• Mukhtar Ansari, Indian politician
• Sibakatullah Ansari, Indian politician
• Master Taj-ud-Din Ansari, Pakistani politician
• Rais Ansari, Indian Urdu poet
• Mohammad Ansari, Pakistani cricketer
• Asad Ansari, Pakistani-Canadian accused of terrorism
• Abdul Qaiyum Ansari, Leader against the demand of Muslim league for creation of a separate Muslim nation.
• Abu Salem, Underworld Don & former member of D-company

Notables women

• Bushra Ansari (Urdu: بشریٰ انصاری‎; PP), is a Pakistani television presenter, singer, actress, comedian, playwright, and author who started as a child performer in the 1960s and has remained a major TV personality for over four decades.

• Suzana Ansar (born 14 February) is an English singer and actress of Bangladeshi descent.

Notables Sufi

'* Pir Roshan (Pashto: بايزيد انصاري‎), also known as Pīr Roshān or Pīr Rokhān (Pashto: پیر روښان‎, "the enlightened Pir"; Persian: پیر روشن‎) (1525 – 1581/1585),^[10] was a Pashtun warrior, poet, Sufi master and intellectual from the Ormur tribe.

See also

• Ansari (nisbat)
• Other Muslim communities of North India and Pakistan:
  • Malik (Julaha)
  • Saifi
  • Manihar

References

External links

• Momin Ansar Sabha