Maimal
The Maimal are a Muslim community found in the state of Assam in India. They are a community of inland fishermen found in Western Assam. A few are also found in the Sylhet District of Bangladesh.[1]
Origin
According to the traditions of the community, the word Maimal is a corruption of the Persian word mahi, which means a fisherman. The Maimal are said to have converted to Islam at the hands of the famous Sufi saint of western Assam, Hazrat Shah Jalal. They are found along the banks of the Sonai and Barak rivers. The community are found mainly in the districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, and speak the Sylhet dialect of Bengali.[2]
Present circumstances
The Maimal were a community of inland fishermen, but most are now settled agriculturists. They are mainly marginal farmers, growing paddy and vegetables. A small number of Maimal have taken petty trade. The Maimal live in multi-ethnic villages, occupying their own quarters, referred to as paras. They are strictly endogamous, and marry close kin. Historically, the community practiced village exogamy, but this is no longer the case.
Traditionally, the maimals are localized on the banks and nearby areas of rivers and other natural water bodies owing to their customary occupation of fishing. So, roads and other means of modern communications lack in their villages.
On the socio-economic front also, they are legging behind the other communities due to their illiteracy and backwardness in education. Due to all-round backwardness, they have been the easy prey in the clutches of the so-called high caste people.
During the early 1960s, in an attempt to emancipate this downtrodden community from the curse of socio-economic backwardness some great leaders of this community like Morhum Maulana Mumtaj uddin, Morhum Maulana Shahid Ahmed(popularly known as Raipuri sahib),Mr.Sarkum Ali (Master of Krishnapur, Hailakandi) Morhum Maulana Shamsul Islam, Morhum Foyez uddin(Master saheb of Tinghori-Bihara), Morhum Haji Sayeed Ali of Srikoan(Cachar), and few others, formed an organization called Nikhil Cachar Muslim Fishermen Federation, with an area of operation of the then Cachar District i.e, present Barak Valley districts of State of Assam (India). This organization led the society to give a socio - political identity and was successful to obtain the Other Backward Classes status for the maimals. Since the leadership of this organization rolled through the elderly leaders only, a few educated youths of this community, in the mid-1980s, moved to form a youth wing which was later recognized under this organization. The young leader, Like Nazmul Hassan, Maharam Ali( Of Hailakandi distt.), Fakhar Uddin Ahmed,Abdul Noor Ahmed (Cachar Distt.) followed by many of their friends and juniors, travelled from the east to west and north to south of Barak valley districts of Assam, organized meetings and thus created a wave of self-identity among the youths of this community.
Mr. Anwarul Hoque has been the one and only member of Assam Legislative Assembly till date. (para 2-4 added by Fakhar Uddin Ahmed)
The Maimal have set up a state wide community association, the Maimal Federation, which deals with issues of community welfare. They are Sunni Muslims, and have customs similar to other Assamese Muslims.