Odia Muslims

For an analysis about the general people of Odisha, see Odia people.

Odia Muslims

Sayeed Mohammed an Indian Odia educationist
Total population
c. 911,670
Regions with significant populations
India (Odisha)
Religions
Islam Majority Sunni Minority Shia
Languages
Manority:-Odia & Hindi Minority:- Urdu

Odia Muslims are a community of people hailing from the Indian state of Odisha who follow Islam. They mostly descend from indigenous embraces to Islam along with a small proportion that migrated from northern India.

History

It is uncertain when Islam first arrived in Odisha. It is believed that the first significant Islamic presence dates from the invasion of the Bengal general, Kalapahad. Commanding the army of Sultan Sulaiman Khan Karrani, the Sultan of Bengal, Kalapahad defeated Raja Mukund Deva of Cuttack in 1568 CE. ^[1]

Karrani brought with him Muslim soldiers who settled down in Odisha, however their number was very few.^{[ citation needed ]} Later migration continued under Mughal as well as the Nawab of Bengal's rule. The majority of these were traders or clergy, sent to preside over the courts, both secular and Islamic. ^[2] Conversions seemed to have mainly occurred from the 16th century onwards. ^[3]

Demographics

Islam has had a very slow rate of growth in Odisha even during the Muslim rule as there had never been any major Muslim missionary work. The current population of Muslims in Odisha is 911,670 (2011 census), roughly 2.2% of the total population. The city of Bhadrak has the maximum number of Muslims as a percentage of the total population (about 35%). ^{[4] [ failed verification ]}

Most Odisha Muslims are Sunni while a small minority are Shia, belonging to such groups as the Khoja and Dawoodi Bohra. ^[3]

Historical Muslim Population of Odisha

Year Pop. ±% 1951 176,338 —     1961 215,319 +22.1% 1971 326,507 +51.6% 1981 422,266 +29.3%	Year Pop. ±% 1991 577,775 +36.8% 2001 761,985 +31.9% 2011 911,670 +19.6%
Source: [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

^α Those groups are included in table whose population is above 100, so the sum will be incorrect.

Tribe [11]	Total Pop.	Muslims	(%)
Munda	558,691	1,130	0.202
Khond	1,627,486	2,439	0.149
Oraon	358,112	784	0.218
Soura	534,851	772	0.144
Kharia	283,909	402	0.141
Shabar	516,402	567	0.104
Kisan	331,589	416	0.125
Kolha	625,009	651	0.104
Bathudi	217,395	188	0.086
Bhottoda	450,771	877	0.194
Bhuiya	306,129	287	0.093
Bhumiya	125,977	119	0.094
Bhumij	283,909	402	0.141
Gadaba	84,689	120	0.141
Gond	888,581	808	0.090
Kharia	222,844	406	0.182
Koya	147,137	198	0.134
Paroja	374,268	587	0.156
Santal	894,764	925	0.103
Saora	534,751	772	0.144
Shabar	516,402	567	0.109
Generic Tribe	125,813	2,791	2.21
Total α	9,290,756	15,335	0.16

Places with the largest proportions

The figures indicate percentage of Muslims within the districts: ^[12]

• Jajapur
  • Sayadpur – 77.75%
  • Brahmabarada – 60%
  • Jajapur – 12%
• Bhadrak
  • Bhadrak – 40%
  • Dhamanagar– 47%

Education

Jamia Islamia Markazul Uloom, a centre of Deobandi Islamic study in Odisha, was founded in 1946 by Muhammad Ismail Katki, the third president of Jamiat Ulema Odisha. ^[13] Important Barelvi Madrasa are located at Bhadrak.

Notable people

• Khwaja Fazal Mohammed (1805–1868), Sufi philosopher
• Syed Irfan Ali Chaudhury (1842–1890), Raja of Tarakote
• Sayeed Mohammed (1891–1922), educationist and philanthropist
• Syed Ameer Ali (1849–1928), jurist, author and political leader
• Atharuddin Mohammed (1859–1931), Dewan of Dhenkanal State
• Amjad Najmi (1899–1974), poet, dramatist and prose writer
• Ekram Rasul (died 1948), doctor and politician
• Ibrahim Suhrawardy (1896–1971), educationist and linguist
• Muhammad Ismail Katki (1914–2005), Islamic scholar, author and politician ^[14]
• Afzal-ul Amin (1915–1983), statesman and social worker
• Surat Alley (1905–1988), trade unionist and political activist
• Karamat Ali Karamat (1936–2022), Urdu poet, author, literary critic and mathematician
• Sirajussajidin Katki (1939–2006), Islamic scholar, poet, and orator ^[15]
• Syed Mustafiz Ahmed (1941–2017), former Welfare Minister
• Mohammad Mohsin (1942–2003), actor, director and producer
• Mohammed Ayoob (born 1942), professor
• Hussain Rabi Gandhi (1948–2023), author and cultural activist
• Mehmood Hussain (1950–2015), filmmaker and author
• Kafeel Ahmad Qasmi (born 1951), Islamic scholar, academician and litterateur ^[16]
• Harun Rashid Khan (born 1955), deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India
• Aparajita Mohanty (née Khan) (born 1962), actress
• Mohammad Shahid Jabbar (born 1965), football coach
• Mohammed Moquim (born 1965), MLA for Barabati-Cuttack
• Farhat Amin (born 1967), journalist and social activist
• Sofia Firdous (born 1992), MLA for Barabati-Cuttack

Also See

• Islam in India

References

1. History of Modern Orissa: 1936-2000 page:5 by Kartik Chandra Rout, Published by Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2004, ISBN   81-261-2006-1, ISBN   978-81-261-2006-2
2. Kanungo, Pralay (2 August 2003). "Hindutva's Entry into a 'Hindu Province': Early Years of RSS in Orissa". The Economic and Political Weekly. Retrieved 29 November 2018– via sacw.net.
3. Weekes, Richard V. (1984). Muslim Peoples [2 Volumes]: A World Ethnographic Survey. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 587. ISBN   978-0-313-23392-0.
4. "Census GIS HouseHold". Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
5. "C-01: Population by religious community (2011)". Census India. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
6. "C-01: Population by religious community (2001)". Census India. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
7. "C-9 Religion (1991)". Census India. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
8. "Portrait of Population - Census 1981" (PDF). Retrieved 12 September 2024.
9. "Census Atlas, Vol-XII-Part IX-A, Orissa - Census 1961" (PDF). Census India. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
10. "General Population, Social and Cultural and Land Tables, Part II-A, Tables, Volume-XI, Orissa - Census 1951" (PDF). Census India. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
11. "ST-14 Scheduled Tribe Population By Religious Community - Odisha" . Retrieved 6 April 2025.
12. "Orissa Hindu Muslim Population". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
13. Rūhul Amīn, Muhammad (5 December 2021). "Munāzir e Islām Maulāna Muhammad Ismāil Katki Qāsmi: Life and Works". Baseerat online (in Urdu). Retrieved 21 June 2022.
14. Nazish, Motiullah (2023). Odisha Ke Mujaahideen e Aazadi (in Urdu) (1st ed.). Sanskruti Bhawan, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneswar: Odisha Urdu Academy. pp. 263–266.
15. Katki, Sayed Abdul Hafiz (June 2004). Majlis-e-Shūra, Jamia Rashidia Riyazul Uloom Sungra (in Urdu). Gohalipur, Cuttack district: Department of Broadcasting, Jamia Rashidia Riyazul Uloom Sungra. pp. 7, 12–18.
16. Mayurbhanji, Muhammad Rūhul Amīn (16 September 2023). "Prof. Maulana Sayed Kafeel Ahmed Qasmi: Biographical Sketch". qindeelonline.com (in Urdu). Qandeel Online. Retrieved 6 October 2023.