Bihari Muslims

Bihari Muslim
Total population
(2.4 cror Muslim)
Regions with significant populations
•  India •  Pakistan• Bangladesh •  United States •  Canada •  Australia
Languages
• Urdu • Bihari
Religion
• Islam (Sunni and Shi'a)
Related ethnic groups
• Bihari peoples • Indian Muslims

Bihari Muslims are people originating and tracing descent from the Indian State of Bihar, who practice Islam as their religion. Bihari Muslims mainly practice Sunni Islam of the Hanafi creed, though a small Shia minority exists.

Origin

Islam in Bihar is said to have been established in the 9-15th century with the arrivals of Sufi missionaries as well as Sunni rulers. One prominent line of saints links to Arabian Peninsula and called Shaikh-ul-Bakhshi (Urdu:شیخ البخشی).

About 3 million Bihari Muslims migrated to Pakistan and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) after independence.

Society

The majority of educated Bihari Muslims formally speak Urdu, while in the vernacular speak in the Bihari dialect.

The Bihari Muslim community is split into the Ajlaf and the Ashraf with Ashraf Muslims having a higher status then Ajlaf Muslims. Ashraf Groups is Bihar are Syeds, Pathans, Sheikhs, Mirzas and Maliks.[1] The Ashraf Muslims claim to be of foreign Islamic descent from Arabia, Afghanistan and Persia and some of them like the Khanzada are descendants of high caste converts like Rajputs and Bhumihars. The Ajlaf on the other hand are descendants of low caste converts.[2]

Muslims are spread throughout the State of Bihar, but are mainly concentrated in some Districts of Bihar, especially Kishanganj, Katihar, Araria, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Champaran, Samastipur, Madhepura, Darbhanga, Begusarai, Nawada, Gaya, Jehanabad and Muzaffarpur.

Distribution by district

[3]

Number District Headquarters Population (2011) Muslim population Percentage
1 Kishanganj Kishanganj 1,296,3481,011,151 78%
2 Katihar Katihar 2,392,638 1,017,495 43%
3 Araria Araria 2,158,608 887,972 41%
4 Purnia Purnia 2,543,942 935,239 37%
5 Darbhanga Darbhanga 3,295,789 748,971 23%
6 Sitamarhi Sitamarhi 2,682,720 568,992 21%
7 West Champaran Bettiah 3,043,466 646,597 21%
8 East Champaran Motihari 3,939,773755,005 19%
9 Bhagalpur Bhagalpur 2,423,172 423,246 18%
10 Madhubani Madhubani 3,575,281 641,579 18%
11 Siwan Siwan 2,714,349 494,176 18%
12 Gopalganj Gopalganj 2,152,638 367,219 17%
13 Supaul Supaul 1,732,578 302,120 17%
14 Sheohar Sheohar 515,961 80,076 16%
15 Muzaffarpur Muzaffarpur 3,746,714 573,951 15%
16 Saharsa Saharsa 1,508,182 217,922 14%
17 Begusarai Begusarai 2,349,366 313,71313%
18 Banka Banka 1,608,773 190,051 12%
19 Gaya Gaya 3,473,428 403,439 12%
20 Jamui Jamui 1,398,796 170,334 12%
21 Nawada Nawada 1,809,696 204,457 11%
22 Madhepura Madhepura 1,526,646 173,605 11%
23 Aurangabad Aurangabad 2,013,055 221,436 11%
24 Kaimur Bhabua 1,289,074 123,048 10%
25 Khagaria Khagaria 1,280,354131,441 10%
26 Rohtas Sasaram 2,450,748 246,760 10%
27 Samastipur Samastipur 3,394,793 355,897 10%
28 Saran Chhapra 3,248,701337,767 10%
29 Vaishali Hajipur 2,718,421 259,158 10%
30 Jehanabad Jehanabad 1,514,315 124,149 8%
31 Munger Munger 1,337,797 98,791 7.4%
32 Patna Patna 4,718,592 366,164 8%
33 Bhojpur Arrah 2,243,144163,193 7%
34 Nalanda Bihar Sharif 2,370,528 176,871 7%
35 Sheikhpura Sheikhpura 525,502 37,755 7%
37 Buxar Buxar 1,402,39686,382 6%
38 Lakhisarai Lakhisarai 802,225 35,378 4%

Sum total of this table is 14,780,500 Muslims out of 83.0 millions total population in 2001 census, hence Muslims were 17.81% of total population in Bihar. In 2011 census, total population grew to 103.9985 millions, of which 18.964% or 19,922,048 were Muslims. 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.

Diaspora

During the Partition of India in the summer of 1947 many Bihari Muslims migrated to Pakistan (West and East). The majority went to West Pakistan and settled down in the Province of Sindh, especially in Karachi and are mainly classed under Muhajirs. Those that went to East Pakistan (modern day Bangladesh), played a significant role in Bangladesh Liberation War and are termed as Stranded Pakistanis.

A large number of Bihari Muslims also went to various European colonies, such as Mauritius, Fiji, Natal, South Africa, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica as indentured labourers in the 19th and 20th centuries.

See also

•Stranded Pakistanis

•Pathans of Bihar

References

  1. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BSceVSL-3C8C&pg=PA20&dq=pathans+in+bihar&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=pathans%20in%20bihar&f=false
  2. ↑ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=X-w7cazQezwC&pg=PA107&dq=pathans+in+bihar&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI172Ju_TJAhWBHRQKHUOWBhAQ6AEIUDAK#v=onepage&q=pathans%20in%20bihar&f=false
  3. ↑ http://www.censusindia.gov.in/errorStatus.htm?aspxerrorpath=/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/CensusDataOnline_Login.aspx

External links

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