Total population | |
---|---|
c. 24,538,379 Million | |
Regions with significant populations | |
India (Bihar only) | 23,138,379 [1] [2] [3] [4] |
Pakistan | 1,000,000 [5] |
Bangladesh | 400,000 [6] |
Languages | |
Urdu, various Bihari languages [7] | |
Religion | |
Islam (Sunni majority, Shia minority) | |
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 subcontinent due to the Partition of British India in 1947, which prompted the community to migrate en masse from Bihar to the dominion of Pakistan (both West Pakistan and East Pakistan). [8] [9]
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.
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. [10] There are also a significant minority of Biharis who adhere to the Shia branch of Islam, largely residing in Patna and Gopalpur in Siwan, tracing their religious descent to Shia Muslim settlers of distant Persian ancestry from Lucknow in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, who arrived in the region during the 19th century. [11]
The large-scale arrival of Muslims in Bihar began in the 14th century, when Turk 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. 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. [12]
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. [13]
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. [14]
Many Bihari Muslims migrated to West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) after the partition of India in 1947. [9] [15]
The following table shows the Muslim population of Bihar by district: [16]
Number | District | Population (2001) | Muslim population | Percentage |
1 | Kishanganj | 1,796,348 | 1,123,456 | 68% |
2 | Katihar | 2,392,638 | 1,024,678 | 43% |
3 | Araria | 2,158,608 | 887,972 | 42% |
4 | Purnia | 2,543,942 | 935,239 | 38% |
5 | Darbhanga | 3,295,789 | 748,971 | 23% |
6 | Sitamarhi | 2,682,720 | 568,992 | 21% |
7 | West Champaran | 3,043,466 | 646,597 | 21% |
8 | East Champaran | 3,939,773 | 755,005 | 19% |
9 | Bhagalpur | 2,423,172 | 423,246 | 18% |
10 | Madhubani | 3,575,281 | 941,579 | 18% |
11 | Siwan | 2,714,349 | 494,176 | 18% |
12 | Gopalganj | 2,152,638 | 367,219 | 17% |
13 | Supaul | 1,732,578 | 302,120 | 17% |
14 | Sheohar | 515,961 | 80,076 | 16% |
15 | Muzaffarpur | 4,746,714 | 752,358 | 15% |
16 | Saharsa | 1,508,182 | 217,922 | 14% |
17 | Begusarai | 2,349,366 | 313,713 | 13% |
18 | Banka | 1,608,773 | 190,051 | 12% |
19 | Gaya | 3,473,428 | 403,439 | 13% |
20 | Jamui | 1,398,796 | 170,334 | 12% |
21 | Nawada | 1,809,696 | 204,457 | 11% |
22 | Madhepura | 1,526,646 | 173,605 | 11% |
23 | Aurangabad | 2,013,055 | 221,436 | 11% |
24 | Kaimur | 1,289,074 | 123,048 | 10% |
25 | Khagaria | 1,280,354 | 131,441 | 10% |
26 | Rohtas | 2,450,748 | 246,760 | 10% |
27 | Samastipur | 3,394,793 | 355,897 | 10% |
28 | Saran | 3,248,701 | 337,767 | 10% |
29 | Vaishali | 2,718,421 | 259,158 | 10% |
30 | Jehanabad | 1,514,315 | 124,149 | 8% |
31 | Munger | 1,337,797 | 98,791 | 7.4% |
32 | Patna | 4,718,592 | 366,164 | 8% |
33 | Bhojpur | 2,243,144 | 163,193 | 7% |
34 | Nalanda | 2,370,528 | 176,871 | 7% |
35 | Sheikhpura | 525,502 | 37,755 | 7% |
37 | Buxar | 1,402,396 | 86,382 | 6% |
38 | Lakhisarai | 802,225 | 35,378 | 4% |
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. [17] 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.
Kishanganj is the only district in Bihar with a Muslim majority.
In common with the rest of India, the Muslims in Bihar are largely descendants of native converts from various castes. [18] 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. [19]
As per the 2022 Bihar caste-based survey, the population of major Muslim castes in Bihar was as follows:
Caste | Categorization | Population | Population as a percentage of total population of Bihar | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shaikh | General | 4995897 | 3.821675389 | ||||
Momin (Muslim) (Julaha/Ansari) | EBC | 4634245 | 3.545025061 | ||||
Surjapuri Muslim ( except Sheikh, Syed, Mallick, Mughal, Pathan) (Only for Purnea, Katihar, Kishangunj & Araria District) | BC | 2446212 | 1.871261196 | ||||
Dhuniya (Muslim) | EBC | 1888192 | 1.444396651 | ||||
Rayeen or Kunjra (Muslim) | EBC | 1828584 | 1.398798748 | ||||
Shershahbadi | EBC | 1302644 | 0.99647421 | ||||
Kulhaiya | EBC | 1253781 | 0.959095832 | ||||
Pathan (Khan) | General | 986665 | 0.754762027 | ||||
Sai/Faqeer/Diwan/Madar (Muslim) | EBC | 663197 | 0.507321038 | ||||
Dhobi (Muslim) | EBC | 409796 | 0.313478698 | ||||
Idrisi or Sarzi (Muslim) | EBC | 329661 | 0.252178404 | ||||
Syed | General | 297975 | 0.227939792 | ||||
Chudihar (Muslim) | EBC | 207914 | 0.159046477 | ||||
Thakurai (Muslim) | EBC | 147482 | 0.112818245 | ||||
Qasab (Qasai) (Muslim) | EBC | 133807 | 0.102357378 | Bhat (Muslim) | BC | 89052 | 0.068121468 |
Madariya (Muslim) (Only for Sanhaul block of Bhagalpur and Dhoriya block of Banka) | BC | 86658 | 0.066290147 | ||||
Daphali (Muslim) | EBC | 73259 | 0.05604041 | ||||
Mehtar, Lalbegi, Halalkhor, Bhangi (Muslim) | EBC | 69914 | 0.05348161 | ||||
Morshikar | EBC | 66607 | 0.050951878 | ||||
Pamaria (Muslim) | EBC | 64890 | 0.049638437 | ||||
Nat (Muslim) | EBC | 61629 | 0.047143893 | ||||
Gaddi | BC | 57617 | 0.044074862 | ||||
Mukairi (Muslim) | EBC | 56522 | 0.043237228 | ||||
Cheeq (Muslim) | EBC | 50404 | 0.038557185 | ||||
Jat (Muslim (Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamadhi, Khagaria & Araria) | BC | 44949 | 0.034384313 | ||||
Rangrez (Muslim) | EBC | 43347 | 0.033158843 | ||||
Bakho (Muslim) | EBC | 36830 | 0.02817358 | ||||
Bhathiyara (Muslim) | EBC | 27263 | 0.020855181 | ||||
Saikalgarg (Muslim) | EBC | 18936 | 0.014485336 | ||||
Qadar | EBC | 18121 | 0.013861891 | ||||
Miriyasin (Muslim) | EBC | 15415 | 0.011791902 | ||||
Nalband (Muslim) | EBC | 11900 | 0.009103057 | ||||
Madari (Muslim) | EBC | 11620 | 0.008888868 | ||||
Abdal | EBC | 11433 | 0.00874582 | ||||
Itfarosh/Itafarosh/Gadheri/Itpaz Ibrahimi (Muslim) | EBC | 9462 | 0.007238078 | ||||
Qalandar | EBC | 7873 | 0.006022552 | ||||
Qaghzi | BC | 2360 | 0.001805312 |
The Iraqi/Kalal was counted as a subset of Bania caste. Prominent members of the Kalal community had protested against the state government and demanded a separate categorization.
Sindh is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province by population after Punjab. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan to the west and north-west and Punjab to the north. It shares an International border with the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the east; it is also bounded by the Arabian Sea to the south. Sindh's landscape consists mostly of alluvial plains flanking the Indus River, the Thar Desert of Sindh in the eastern portion of the province along the international border with India, and the Kirthar Mountains in the western portion of the province.
The Punjabis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region, comprising areas of northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. They generally speak Standard Punjabi or various Punjabi dialects on both sides.
Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, or approximately 172.2 million people, identifying as adherents of Islam in a 2011 census. India also has the third-largest number of Muslims in the world. The majority of India's Muslims are Sunni, with Shia making up around 15% of the Muslim population.
Islam is the largest and the state religion of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. According to the 2022 census, Bangladesh had a population of about 150 million Muslims, or 91.04% of its total population of 165 million. Muslims of Bangladesh are predominant native Bengali Muslims. The majority of Bangladeshis are Sunni, and follow the Hanafi school of fiqh. Bangladesh is a de facto secular country.
Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Pakistan after Islam. Though Hinduism was one of the dominant faiths in the region a few centuries ago, Hindus accounted for just 2.17% of Pakistan's population according to the 2023 Pakistani census. With the largest population in eastern Sindh, Umerkot district has the highest percentage of Hindu residents in the country at 54.6%, while Tharparkar district has the most Hindus in absolute numbers at 811,507. Hindus are also found in urban Punjab and in areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Meo are a Muslim ethnic group originating from the Mewat region of north-western India.
Pirzada is historically described as official owners of Sufi mausoleums and shrines in Muslim lands, with their earliest mentions being in Baghdad, Iraq, during the period of the Ilkhanate, Timurids and Mamluks. Often a Pirzada was a descendant of those buried within the tomb they were assigned to, hence most of the Pirzadas are Syeds.
Muslim Rajputs or Musalman Rajpoots are the descendants of Rajputs in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who generally are followers of Islam. They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period onwards, creating various dynasties and states while retaining Hindu surnames such as Chauhan. Today, Muslim Rajputs can be found mostly in present-day Northern India and Pakistan. They are further divided into different clans.
The official religion of Pakistan is Islam, as enshrined by Article 2 of the Constitution, and is practised by an overwhelming majority of 96.35% of the country's population. The remaining 3.65% practice Hinduism, Christianity, Ahmadiyya, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and other religions.
Bihari is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic groups, Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magadhis. They are also further divided into a variety of hereditary caste groups. In Bihar today, the Bihari identity is seen as secondary to caste/clan, linguistic and religious identity but nonetheless is a subset of the larger Indian identity. Biharis can be found throughout India, and in the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. During the Partition of India in 1947, many Bihari Muslims migrated to East Bengal. Bihari people are also well represented in the Muhajir people of Pakistan because of Partition.
Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.
Muslim communities in South Asia have a system of social stratification arising from concepts other than "pure" and "impure", which are integral to the caste system in India. It developed as a result of relations among foreign conquerors, local upper-caste Hindus convert to Islam and local lower-caste converts (ajlaf), as well as the continuation of the Indian caste system by converts. Non-ashrafs are backward-caste converts. The concept of "pasmanda" includes ajlaf and arzal Muslims; ajlaf status is defined by descent from converts to Islam and by pesha (profession). These terms are not part of the sociological vocabulary in regions such as Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, and say little about the functioning of Muslim society.
Sufism has a history in India evolving for over 1,000 years. The presence of Sufism has been a leading entity increasing the reaches of Islam throughout South Asia. Following the entrance of Islam in the early 8th century, Sufi mystic traditions became more visible during the 10th and 11th centuries of the Delhi Sultanate and after it to the rest of India. A conglomeration of four chronologically separate dynasties, the early Delhi Sultanate consisted of rulers from Turkic and Afghan lands. This Persian influence flooded South Asia with Islam, Sufi thought, syncretic values, literature, education, and entertainment that has created an enduring impact on the presence of Islam in India today. Sufi preachers, merchants and missionaries also settled in coastal Gujarat through maritime voyages and trade.
Hinduism is the most followed religion in Bihar, followed by nearly 82% of total population as per 2023 Bihar Caste based census. Islam is the second-most followed religion which is followed by nearly 17.7% of population. There is also a significant population of Buddhists and Christians in the state.
The Muhajir people are Muslim immigrants of various ethnic groups and regional origins, and their descendants, who migrated from various regions of India after the 1947 independence to settle in the newly independent state of Pakistan. The community includes those immigrants' descendants, most of whom are settled in Karachi and other major urban centres of Pakistan.
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Peerahi are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.
Bengali Muslims are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ethnic group among Muslims after Arabs. Bengali Muslims make up the majority of Bangladesh's citizens, and are the largest minority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam.
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Punjabi Muslims are Punjabis who are adherents of Islam. With a population of more than 112 million, they are the third-largest predominantly Islam-adhering Muslim ethnicity in the world, after Arabs and Bengalis.
Abdul Kadir Khanzada, who represents Orangi Town in Pakistan's parliament, said he would like to welcome Nitish to his constituency, where a majority of over a million people have their roots in Bihar.
According to local NGOs working for Bihari welfare, around 400,000 members of the community live in camps in Bangladesh.
Others got attracted to the supposedly greener pastures in West Pakistan. Hence, in Karachi, a separate Bihari colony of construction labourers came into existence even before Pakistan was formally created. ... Moreover, some of the wealthier Biharis migrated towards West Pakistan. In order to induce further migration, Maulana Abdul Quddus Bihair, Chairman of the Bihar Relief Committee (Karachi) and also of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Islam began propagating that there was a better scheme of land and flats to be given to them in Karachi by January 1947. Quddus presented the province of Sindh as a destination that offered openings for traders, cultivators, labourers, contractors, manufacturers, weavers and professionals, and therefore was the 'best substitute for Bihar'.