Monday, June 28, 2010

The article published in Times of India entitled: 'Being Muslim in India means Syeds spit on Julahas in an 'egalitarian community'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/Being-Muslim-in-India-means-Syeds-spit-on-Julahas-in-an-egalitarian-community/articleshow/5935797.cms
The Times of India, (The Sunday Times) 16, May 2010. Mohammed Wajihuddin, TNN, May 16, 2010, 12.45am IST
'Being Muslim in India means Syeds spit on Julahas in an 'egalitarian community'
There is no escape from caste in India. Even the Indian Muslim practises it. Mohammed Shabbir Ansari of Jalna, Maharashtra, should know. He founded the All-India Muslim OBC Front, which is leading the battle against Ashraaf or upper-caste discrimination against Ajlaaf or lower-caste Muslims. Ansari recalls how the "Jamaat-e-Islami and other Muslim bodies would attack me when I said casteism existed among Muslims a decade ago." He says even highly-educated Muslims practise caste. "A syed family from Hyderabad called off my second daughter's marriage proposal once the boy's mother learnt that I belonged to the julaha (weaver's community)," Ansari says. Ansari's experience illustrates the basic truths in the seminal study "Hindustan Mein Zaat-Paat Aur Musalman" (Casteism in India and Muslims) written by the Lucknow-based scholar Masood Alam Falahi in 2008. Falahi traced the origin of caste practices among Muslims and named the noted ulema who winked at it. He said the caste system took root among Indian Muslims after Qutbuddin Aibak founded the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century. Sultanate scholars divided Muslims into Ashraaf and Ajlaaf. The Ashraaf are Syed, Shaikh, Mughal and Pathan and the Ajlaaf are Qasai (butcher), Nai (barber), Julaha (weaver). The very lowest Ajlaafs were Arzaals (sweepers, shoe-makers, etc). Hundreds of years later, the Sultanate's categorization would be given extra legitimacy by respected 20th century clerics such as Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who extolled the supremacy of Syeds. In fact, Muslims' caste-consciousness runs so deep Allama Iqbal reprimanded them in a couplet: "Yun to Syed bhi ho, Mirza bhi ho Afghan bhi ho/Tum sabhi kuchch ho batao ke Musalman bhi ho (You are Syed, Mirza and Afghan/You are everything but Muslim)". The paradox of Muslim casteism can give rise to extraordinary situations. Falahi recalls Muslim speakers asking dalit Hindus in Azamgarh to embrace Islam a few years ago because "everyone is treated equally here. But a man stood up and said 'there might be no castes in Islam, there are castes among Indian Muslims'. The speakers had no answer to that."

4 comments:

Unknown said...

This is absolutely wrong, It is story of past, such articles only works like fuelling the issue, a lot has been changed in India. An scholar should involve his energy in positive things, writing such articles only enlarging the gulf again, i am hudred persent sure that if you ask this writer to marry a girl from lower cast than his he would refuse. casteism can be vanished by spreading awareness and eduction and teachings of Islam not by writing such things. it will provoke the issue again, and such article will never let this issue die. By writing such articals is waste of time or for personal gain either from politacal partiese or from a particular section. Dear if really you want to do something for betterment of the whole muslim community so do something to educate them, to unite them, not to devide them.

Anonymous said...

I live in the US. How can I get a copy of this book? Is is available for online ordering or carried by a US store?

अभय तिवारी said...

This comment is not regarding this post but in general about your views. I recently heard you speaking in a seminar at Columbia university on youtube. I am very impressed with your objectivity and clarity of vision. I support your cause. Regards.

Yawar said...

Caste exists among Indian Muslims. This is a verifiable fact. It is totally against Islam, against the Quran and Sunnah and completely Haraam. Those who permitted it and supported it and do so even today are speaking against what Allahﷻ ordered and what Rasoolullahﷺ practiced. Their rulings must be rejected because we don't accept any ruling that goes against the Quran and Sunnah. It is these people who closed the door for people to enter Islam, especially Dalits who have been greviously discriminated against in Hinduism. Islam should have released them from this slavery. Islam did. Muslims scholars and people didn't and instead supported the Hindu caste system. This is totally disgusting, despicable and Haraam. There is no caste system in Islam. Allahﷻ said so. Rasoolullahﷺ said so. And whatever anyone else said or says can't cancel out what Allahﷻ and His Messengerﷺ said.