GUWAHATI: The Assam cabinet Friday approved a socio-economic survey of the state’s indigenous Muslim population. The decision comes a year-and-a-half after the Himanta Biswa Sarma government recognised five communities as “indigenous Assamese Muslims”.
The Directorate of Char Areas Developmentwhich will be renamed as Directorate of Minority Affairs and Char Areaswill carry out the socio-economic assessment of “indigenous” Muslims, a cabinet note stated.
According to the 2011 Census, Muslims comprise more than 34% of Assam’s population, the third highest among all states and Union Territories after Lakshadweep and J&K. Of the state’s total population of 3.1 crore, over 1 crore are Muslims. However, only about 40 lakh are native, Assamese-speaking Muslims, and the rest are Bangladeshi-origin, Bengali-speaking immigrants.
In October, the Himanta government had announced plans to carry out the socio-economic assessment of the indigenous Muslim communities. “These findings will guide the government to take suitable measures aimed at the comprehensive socio-political and educational upliftment (sic) of the state’s indigenous minorities,” the CM had said in a post on X.
The state government had categorised Goria, Moria, Jolah (only the ones living in tea gardens), Desi and Syed (only the Assamese-speaking) communities as native Assamese Muslims, who do not have any history of migration from erstwhile East Pakistan and now Bangladesh, in July last year.
The decision to identify five sub-groups as indigenous was based on the recommendations of seven sub- committees formed by the state government earlier. Such classification had been a long-standing demand of these communities that often complained of being marginalised and sidelined by Bengali-speaking Muslims and not getting any benefits, despite being original inhabitants of Assam.
These communities converted to Islam between the 13th and the 17th centuries. Unlike the Bengali-speaking migrants, their mother tongue is Assamese and their cultural practices and traditions are similar to native Hindus.
The Gorias and Morias worked for the Ahom kings and the Desis were originally Koch-Rajbongshis, who converted to Islam.
Muslims brought by the British from the Chottanagpur plateau to work in the tea gardens comprise the Jolha tribe, while the Syeds are descendants of the followers of Sufi saints.
The Directorate of Char Areas Developmentwhich will be renamed as Directorate of Minority Affairs and Char Areaswill carry out the socio-economic assessment of “indigenous” Muslims, a cabinet note stated.
According to the 2011 Census, Muslims comprise more than 34% of Assam’s population, the third highest among all states and Union Territories after Lakshadweep and J&K. Of the state’s total population of 3.1 crore, over 1 crore are Muslims. However, only about 40 lakh are native, Assamese-speaking Muslims, and the rest are Bangladeshi-origin, Bengali-speaking immigrants.
In October, the Himanta government had announced plans to carry out the socio-economic assessment of the indigenous Muslim communities. “These findings will guide the government to take suitable measures aimed at the comprehensive socio-political and educational upliftment (sic) of the state’s indigenous minorities,” the CM had said in a post on X.
The state government had categorised Goria, Moria, Jolah (only the ones living in tea gardens), Desi and Syed (only the Assamese-speaking) communities as native Assamese Muslims, who do not have any history of migration from erstwhile East Pakistan and now Bangladesh, in July last year.
The decision to identify five sub-groups as indigenous was based on the recommendations of seven sub- committees formed by the state government earlier. Such classification had been a long-standing demand of these communities that often complained of being marginalised and sidelined by Bengali-speaking Muslims and not getting any benefits, despite being original inhabitants of Assam.
These communities converted to Islam between the 13th and the 17th centuries. Unlike the Bengali-speaking migrants, their mother tongue is Assamese and their cultural practices and traditions are similar to native Hindus.
The Gorias and Morias worked for the Ahom kings and the Desis were originally Koch-Rajbongshis, who converted to Islam.
Muslims brought by the British from the Chottanagpur plateau to work in the tea gardens comprise the Jolha tribe, while the Syeds are descendants of the followers of Sufi saints.