Islam in Assam

Panbari Mosque is the oldest mosque in Assam

Islam is the second largest religion in Assam. Islam is also fastest growing religion in Assam according to 2011 census report. According to the 2011 census, there were 10,679,345 Muslims in the Indian state of Assam, forming over 34.22% of its population. Muslims are majority in almost 9 districts of Assam according to 2011 census. ^[1]

History

The Muslims first came to Assam in the early 13th century, when Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji led an army to eastern India in 1205.^[2] A chieftain of the Mech tribe embraced Islam at the invitation of Khilji, and adopted the name Ali Mech. He guided Khilji's army through the region known as Kamarupa during the expedition.^[3][4] Islam became popularised in the Barak Valley with the arrival of the Sufi Shah Jalal and his disciples in the early 14th century. A large part of the valley came under the Bengal Sultanate. Since then Muslims continue to play important in all walks of life in Assam.

In 1613, the Mughals briefly annexed Koch Hajo, in present day western Assam. They also ruled Goalpara (as a part of their Bengal Subah), but could not subdue the other parts of Assam.^[5] The Mughal soldiers who were taken as prisoners of wars by the Assamese kingdoms were later assimilated by the local population, but maintained their Islamic beliefs and worked as brass metal workers.^[6]

In 1630, a Muslim saint named Shah Miran, popularly known as Ajan Fakir, came from Baghdad, the present capital city of Iraq, to Assam. He preached to the local population about Islam and as a result many converted to Islam and became his disciples.^[6] His mausoleum is present in Sahoguri Chapori in Assam's Sivasagar district.

British Raj

The British East India Company had established its rule in the neighbouring Bengal region after the Battle of Plassey in 1757. When Assam came under colonial rule, the British brought with them a number of Bengali settlers. These Bengalis encouraged other Bengalis to settle in Assam for economic reasons.^[7] The fertile land of Assam attracted a number of landless peasants from East Bengal, nearly 85% of whom were Muslims. The tea planters and Marwari businessmen, who needed workers, also welcomed the immigrants.^[8]

Early establishments were in the Goalpara district, mostly in the char (riverine) lands and reserved forests.^[7] Some of these Muslim migrants were known as "Miahs", and most of them have assimilated with the indigenous Muslims. Since many of them came from the Mymensingh district, they were sometimes referred to as "Mymenshingia". The Muslim migrants from the Gaud region were also known as Gariyas.^[2]

After the Government of India Act 1935, a Legislative Assembly was established in Assam in 1937. The Muslim League, led by Muhammed Saadulah, formed a minority government in the state.^[8]

Independence

After the Sylhet referendum in 1947, the Muslim-majority Sylhet region went to East Pakistan while some Muslim-majority areas such as Karimganj went to Assam, India.^[9][10]

Assam has a substantial number of indigenous Muslims, but there have been concerns that illegal immigration from neighbouring Bangladesh has contributed to a sharp rise in the Muslim population of Assam. This fear of "demographic invasion" by Bangladeshi Muslims has been a political issue in Assam since the days of the Assam Movement (1979–1985).^[11] In 2001, there were 6 Muslim-majority districts in the state of Assam. By 2011, this number had increased to 9.^[12] However, these numbers have declined in recent years.^[13]

Ethnicity

Although the Muslims of Assam did not identify with any caste, they had caste-like divisions based on family ancestry (e.g. Syed, Mughal, Pathan and Sheikh) and functional sections (e.g. Maria, Mahinial and Jalaha). In order of traditional social status, the ancestral groups include:^[2]

Syed

The Syeds claim descent from Muhammad. In 17th century, a Syed Muslim saint Ajan Fakir came to Assam and promoted Islam.

Shaikh

This section is formed by the descandants of invading Muslim soldiers who married local Assamese girls, some of whose relatives also converted to Islam.

Maria

These are descended from the captured Muslim soldiers, who came with the armies of Khilji (1206) and Turbak of Gaur (1532).

Miah

These are descended of local indigenous Australoid-Dravidian people who converted to Islam. However it is also used as a racial epithet for Bengali Muslims.^[14]

Illegal immigration from Bangladesh

Illegal immigrants from Bangladesh has been a key issue in Assam. Most of the immigrants settle in Assam due to economic reasons and their population is estimated to be between 7-8 million. The issue of illegal influx has a 30-year-old history, starting with the anti-foreigner agitation that began in 1979 under the leadership of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU). In 1985, after hundreds of people died in course of what turned out to be independent India’s biggest mass uprising, the AASU and other agitation groups signed an agreement with the Centre called the Assam Accord. It fixed 25 March 1971 as the cut-off date for detection and expulsion of illegal migrants, meaning anyone found entering India after this date were to be detected and sent back. In the three decades that followed, only a few thousand illegal Bangladeshi migrants have been expelled by successive state governments, which included the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), a party that was formed with the mandate of freeing Assam of illegal aliens. Many of these ‘expelled’ people are believed to have come back.^[15][16] According to the 2011 Census, the Muslim population in Assam, the most populated state in northeastern India, is 34.22 percent out of a total of 31.2 million. The Muslim population in Assam rose by 3.3 percent since the last Census in 2001. Interestingly, the population growth of Muslims in Assam is staggeringly higher than in Jammu and Kashmir, where it increased by 1.3 percent between 2001 and 2011. The national average growth of Muslim population is 0.8 percent.^[17] The reality is that between 1985 and 2012, according to an Assam government white paper, only 2,442 illegal immigrants from Bangladesh had been expelled from the state. The central home ministry said in 2004 that it estimated a total of five million illegal immigrants in Assam.^[18]

Illegal immigration is by far the biggest issue in the Assam primarily because sneaking into Assam from Bangladesh is fairly easy. The size of the Brahmaputra varies through the year, making it almost impossible to fence the border. Thus, a large part of the district is unfenced, making it easy for illegal migrants along the border to sneak into Assam. As per sources, it was found out that it was ridiculously easy for a foreign national to acquire Indian citizenship by submitting fake documents or by paying as little as Rs. 10,000 to acquire one.^[19][20]

Shri Indrajit Gupta, the then Home Minister of India stated in the Parliament on 6 May, 1997 that there were 10 million illegal migrants residing in India. Quoting Home Ministry/Intelligence Bureau source, the 10 August 1998 issue of India Today has given the breakdown of these illegal migrants by States - West Bengal 5.4 millions, Assam 4 millions, Tripura 8 millions, Bihar 0.5 million, Maharashtra 0.5 million, Rajasthan 0.5 million and Delhi 0.3 million making a total of 10.83 millions.^[21]

Shri E.N. Rammohan, DG. BSF, who is an IPS officer of Assam cadre, in his report of 10 February, 1997 has stated,

.

He mentioned that in 1971 the large island of Chawalkhoa comprising 5000 bighas of land was being cultivated by Assamese villagers from Gorukhut and Sanuna and went on the state,

^[22]

Human Rights issues

Bengali Muslims in Assam have faced repeated and increased Islamophobic attacks.^[14] In 1983, around 2000 Bengali-speaking Muslims were killed in the Nellie massacre.^[23]

During the 2012 Assam violence there was widespread attacks on Bengali Muslim populations. Indian Hindu nationalist politicians have accused Bangladesh of trying to expand its territory by ostensibly promoting illegal immigration. However, Indian government census reports note a decline in immigration from Bangladesh between 1971 and 2011.^[13][24]

The response to the alleged illegal migration by Bangladeshis in India has seen double standards. In 2014 Narendra Modi, the then Prime minister hopeful threatened to expel all "illegal Bangladeshis" but made a distinction between Bengali Hindus and Muslims. Modi remarked that "those who are forced to flee Bangladesh and are sons of mother India, love the nation, worship (the Hindu goddess) Ma Durga.....they will be protected and given the same status as other sons of mother India. But illegal Bangladeshi migrants, who are being brought to India in the name of vote-bank politics, will have to go back to Bangladesh."^[25] There are reports of Islamists entering Assam as refugees and then perpetuating violence and terrorist activities as insurgents.^[26]

Population

* Variation for two decades (1971–1991). In 1981, census was not conducted in Assam due to disturbed conditions resulting from insurgency.

Population by district

Below is a breakdown of the Muslim population by district in the Indian state of Assam according to the 2011 Census of India: ^[1]

Society

Though Assam Muslims follow all rules and obligations of islam they are still probably one of the least orthodox Muslim communities of entire Asia. They follow many Hindu customs and take part in Hindu festivals. In fact, the day-to-day rituals of this community resemble the customs of the other local tribes and communities of Assam. A majority of the Assam Muslims are agrarian in nature and depend on agriculture for their subsistence.^[28]

Notable Assamese Muslims

• Bagh Hazarika
• Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the only Assamese president of India
• Anwara Taimur, the only woman chief minister of Assam
• Muhammed Saadulah, the only Assamese member of the drafting committee of the constituent assembly of India
• Parveen Sultana, Padma Bhushan vocalist
• Abu Nechim, the first Assamese IPL cricketer
• Mafizuddin Ahmed Hazarika, writer
• Imran Shah, writer
• Syed Abdul Malik, writer
• Zerifa Wahid, actor
• Adil Hussain, actor

See also

• Islam in West Bengal
• Christianity in Assam

References