Bihari Muslims

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

Muslim men praying in Siwan district, Bihar, 1910
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 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]

History

Sher Shah Suri Tomb in Sasaram. He was the founder of the Sur Empire and was born in Bihar to Pashtun parents.

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]

Distribution by district

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.

Muslim communities

• MALLICKS or Malik of Bihar
• Julahas (Momin) or Ansari
• Sheikh of Bihar
• Surjapuri (Bhuiyan)
• Dhuniya
• Rayeen or Kunjra
• Shershahabadia
• Muslim Bhumihars
• Pathans of Bihar
• Idrisi or Darzi
• Kulhaiya
• Muslim Kayasths
• Muslim Rajputs
  • Thakurai
  • Malkana
  • Khanzada
• clan (Bihar)
• Abdal
• Muslim Chhipi
• Lal Begi or Lala Baig
• Turuk Pasi/Pashai
• Sayyid/Syed
• Chik
• Sai
• Muslim Rangrez
• Pamaria/Sheikh Abbasi
• Iraqi/Kalal
• Miyan

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]

Statistics

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.

Notable Bihari Muslims

Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh

• Syed Ali Imam - Prime Minister of Hyderabad State and Indian independence activist.
• Khuda Bakhsh - Chief Justice of Hyderabad State and founder of the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library
• Sheikh Zainuddin - 18th century painter
• Shad Azimabadi - 19th century poet from Patna
• Ali Ibrahim Khan - 18th century statesmen and poet
• Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri - 13th century Sufi mystic
• Maulana Asim Bihari - 20th century Social Activist from Bihar Sharif
• Shahid Ali Khan(politician) - politician
• Abdul Qaiyum Ansari - Freedom Fighter, Activist and Politician

References

1. Joy, Shemin. "Caste survey in Bihar: OBCs, EBCs make up 63.13% of population; Gen Category 15.52%". Deccan Herald.
2. "Bihar Caste Census Population, Religion-wise Population & more". RajNeetPG. 3 October 2023.
3. "India's religions by numbers". The Hindu. 26 August 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
4. "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
5. Arshad, Sameer (5 November 2012). "Will Nitish's visit boost Biharis in Pakistan?". Times Of India. 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.
6. "The neglected 'Bihari' community in Bangladesh". Deutsche Welle. 14 January 2019. According to local NGOs working for Bihari welfare, around 400,000 members of the community live in camps in Bangladesh.
7. "Case of Bhojpuri and Hindi in Mauritius". lexpress.mu. 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
8. Khan, Engr Imtiaz Alam (15 December 2019). "HISTORY: THE FALL OF DHAKA FROM BIHARI EYES". Dawn. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
9. Sajjad, Mohammad (13 August 2014). Muslim Politics in Bihar: Changing Contours. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-55981-8. 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'.
10. Prasad, Ram Chandra (7 November 1983). "Bihar". National Book Trust, India – via Google Books.
11. Chaturvedi, Ritu (7 November 2018). Bihar Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 9788176257985 – via Google Books.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. Ghosh, Partha S. (23 May 2016). Migrants, Refugees and the Stateless in South Asia. SAGE Publishing India. ISBN 9789351508533 – via Google Books.
16. "Error Value". www.censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
17. 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.
18. "Bihar Information". Director, Public Relations. 7 November 1984 – via Google Books.
19. Alam, Mohd Sanjeer (27 January 2012). Religion, Community, and Education: The Case of Rural Bihar. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199088652 – via Google Books.

External links

• The Forgotten People: Bihari Refugees of Bangladesh, UCANews