Bihari Muslims

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For Bihari Muslims who settled in Pakistan, see Muhajir people.

Bihari Muslims
Regions with significant populations
Across Bihar, predominantly in Karachi and other large cities across India and Pakistan
Languages
Urdu, Hindi, various Bihari languages[1]
Religion
Star and Crescent.svg Islam
Related ethnic groups
Other Biharis

Bihari Muslims are adherents of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Biharis. They are geographically native to the region comprising the Bihar state of India, although there are significantly large communities of Bihari Muslims living elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent due to the Partition of British India in 1947, which prompted the community to migrate en masse from Bihar to East Pakistan.[2] Bihari Muslims make up a significant minority in Pakistan under the diverse community of Muhajirs (lit. 'migrants'), and largely began arriving in the country following the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which led to the secession of East Pakistan from the Pakistani union as the independent state of Bangladesh. Since 1971, Bihari Muslims residing in Bangladesh are widely referred to as Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh who are awaiting repatriation to Pakistan,[3][4] and have faced heightened persecution in the country due to their collaboration with West Pakistani forces in perpetrating the 1971 Bangladesh genocide against Bengalis and Hindus.[5][6][7][8]

The majority of Bihari Muslims adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, and the adoption of the religion by Biharis traces back to the 14th century, when Afghan traders and Sufi missionaries began to arrive in the region a century prior to the Mughal Empire's conquest of the subcontinent.[9] There are also a significant minority of Biharis who adhere to the Shia branch of Islam, largely residing in Patna and tracing their religious descent to Shia Muslim settlers from Lucknow who arrived in the region in the 19th century.[10]

Origin[edit]

In common with the rest of India, the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Bihar are descendants of native converts from various castes.[11] The rise of the Indian Muslim population can be traced back to the early 12th century, with many conversions to Islam taking place during the rule of the Sur Empire, which had established its capital in Sasaram.[12]

History[edit]

Sher Shah Suri Tomb in Sasaram. Sher Shah Suri founded the Sur Empire and was born in Bihar

The large-scale arrival of Muslims in Bihar began in the 14th century, when Afghan traders and Sufi saints-warriors settled in the South Bihar plains and furthered the process of agricultural colonisation while also spreading Islam among the local populace. Muslims were not the only new immigrants to Bihar during this period as many upper-caste Hindus arrived also including Rajput and Bhumihar clan chiefs who cut down the forested areas and drove the indigenous Adivasis out of the region. Inscriptions in Bihar Sharif tell of a Sufi warrior by the name of Malik Ibrahim Bayu who came to Bihar and defeated the non-Hindu Kol tribe who had been oppressing the local Muslims. He conquered many Kol chiefdoms.[13]

Some of the kings and chieftains of medieval Bihar were Muslim. The chieftaincy of Kharagpur Raj in modern-day Munger district was originally controlled by Hindu Rajputs. In 1615 after a failed rebellion by Raja Sangram Singh, his son Toral Mal converted and he changed his name to Roz Afzun.[14]

The Faujdars of Purnea (also known as the Nawabs of Purnea) created an autonomous territory for themselves under the leadership of Saif Khan and ruled in parts of Eastern Bihar in the early 1700s. They were engaged in a protracted conflict with the neighbouring Kingdom of Nepal.[15]

Many Bihari Muslims migrated to Pakistan and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) after independence in 1947.[16]

Society[edit]

Bihari Muslim society has traditionally been divided by caste and clan affiliations. Muslims refer to these distinctions as biraderi and they are not as rigid as those followed by Hindus, but intermarriage remains rare.[17] The Ashraf groups are equivalent to upper castes [18] and include groups like Pathans, Sayyid , sheikh , Mallick and Mirza. The Pathans of Bihar are mostly the descendants of Pashtun settlers with some being descended from local high-caste Bhumihar and Rajput converts. The Mirzas claim descent from the Mughals and are found mainly in the area around Darbhanga and Muzzafarpur. The Ajlaf Muslims are mostly the descendants of low-caste Hindu converts. Among the largest Ajlaf groups are the Ansaris who form 20% of the Muslim population in Bihar. Their traditional occupation is weaving.[17]

Distribution by district[edit]

The following table shows the Muslim population of Bihar by district:[19]

Number District Population (2001) Muslim population Percentage
1 Kishanganj 1,296,348 1,123456 99%
2 Katihar 2,392,638 1,024,678 49%
3 Araria 2,158,608 887,972 45%
4 Purnia 2,543,942 935,239 38%
5 Darbhanga 3,295,789 748,971 29.7%
6 Sitamarhi 2,682,720 568,992 29%
7 West Champaran 3,043,466 646,597 26%
8 East Champaran 3,939,773 755,005 26%
9 Bhagalpur 2,423,172 423,246 26%
10 Madhubani 3,575,281 941,579 26%
11 Siwan 2,714,349 494,176 26%
12 Gopalganj 2,152,638 367,219 26%
13 Supaul 1,732,578 302,120 26%
14 Sheohar 515,961 80,076 26%
15 Muzaffarpur 4,746,714 752,358 26%
16 Saharsa 1,508,182 217,922 25%
17 Begusarai 2,349,366 313,713 24%
18 Banka 1,608,773 190,051 23%
19 Gaya 3,473,428 403,439 22%


20 Jamui 1,398,796 170,334 21%
21 Nawada 1,809,696 204,457 20%
22 Madhepura 1,526,646 173,605 19%
23 Aurangabad 2,013,055 221,436 18%
24 Kaimur 1,289,074 123,048 17%
25 Khagaria 1,280,354 131,441 17%
26 Rohtas 2,450,748 246,760 16%
27 Samastipur 3,394,793 355,897 15%
28 Saran 3,248,701 337,767 14%
29 Vaishali 2,718,421 259,158 14%
30 Jehanabad 1,514,315 124,149 13%
31 Munger 1,337,797 98,791 13%
32 Patna 4,718,592 366,164 11%
33 Bhojpur 2,243,144 163,193 11%
34 Nalanda 2,370,528 176,871 11%
35 Sheikhpura 525,502 37,755 11%
37 Buxar 1,402,396 86,382 10%
38 Lakhisarai 802,225 35,378 10%

Sum total of this table is 14,780,500 Muslims out of 83.0 million total population in 2001 census, hence Muslims were 16.5% of total population in Bihar. In 2011 census, total population grew to 103.9985 million, of which 16.9% or 17,557,809 were Muslims.[20] During 2001–2011, Muslims grew by 33.433%, while non-Muslims grew by 23.537%. District-wise break up by religions for 2011 is not available.

Muslim communities[edit]

Pamaria

Muslim Kalwar/_Kalal/Eraqui

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Case of Bhojpuri and Hindi in Mauritius". lexpress.mu. 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Khan, Engr Imtiaz Alam (15 December 2019). "HISTORY: THE FALL OF DHAKA FROM BIHARI EYES". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "In Pictures: Plight of Biharis in Bangladesh". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Zakaria, Anam. "Remembering the war of 1971 in East Pakistan". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Report Submitted to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives and Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate by the Department of State in Accordance with Sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance 1961, as Amended S. prt. United States: U.S. Department of State. 1998. p. 1869. Approximately 240,000 Bihari Muslims live in various camps around the country; they have remained in the country since 1971 awaiting settlement in Pakistan. Biharis are non-Bengali Muslims who emigrated to what was formerly East Pakistan during the 1947 partition of British India. Most supported Pakistan during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence. They later declined to accept Bangladesh citizenship and asked to be repatriated to Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan historically has been reluctant to accept the Biharis. During a visit to Dhaka in January, the Pakistani Prime Minister announced that Pakistan would be willing to assist in their repatriation, but no repatriation occurred during that year.
  6. ↑ Times, Kasturi Rangan Special to The New York (22 December 1971). "Bengalis Hunt Down Biharis, Who Aided Foe". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Biharis". Minority Rights Group. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  8. ↑ Jacob, Frank (2019). "Genocide and Mass Violence in Asia – Bangladesh" (PDF). OAPEN Online Library and Publication Platform. Retrieved 4 May 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Prasad, Ram Chandra (7 November 1983). "Bihar". National Book Trust, India – via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Chaturvedi, Ritu (7 November 2018). Bihar Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 9788176257985 – via Google Books.
  11. ↑ "Bihar Information". Director, Public Relations. 7 November 1984 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Alam, Mohd Sanjeer (27 January 2012). Religion, Community, and Education: The Case of Rural Bihar. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199088652 – via Google Books.
  13. ↑ Gyan Prakash (30 October 2003). Bonded Histories: Genealogies of Labor Servitude in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 63–65. ISBN 978-0-521-52658-6.
  14. ↑ Yogendra P. Roy (1992). "Tahawar Singh-A Muslim Raja of Kharagpur Raj (1676 - 1727)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 53: 333–334. JSTOR 44142804.
  15. ↑ P. J. Marshall (2 November 2006). Bengal: The British Bridgehead: Eastern India 1740-1828. Cambridge University Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-521-02822-6.
  16. ↑ Ghosh, Partha S. (23 May 2016). Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in South Asia. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 9789351508533 – via Google Books.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Jawaid Alam (1 January 2004). Government and Politics in Colonial Bihar, 1921-1937. Mittal Publications. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-81-7099-979-9.
  18. ↑ Karna, Mahendra Narain (1981). Studies in Bihar's Economy and Society. Concept Publishing Company.
  19. ↑ "Error Value". www.censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  20. ↑ Singh, Vijaita (25 August 2015). "Bihar elections among factors in religious data of Census 2011 release". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017 – via www.thehindu.com.

External links[edit]

Template:Muhajir communities

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