In the recently concluded BJP national executive conclave in Hyderabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a special mention for the Pasmanda community and their social upliftment. The special mention of the Pasmanda Muslims brings to our mind as to who they are. Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need to focus on Pasmanda Muslims along with finding new social equations.
After PM's call, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have already started wooing the community. BJP has appointed Danish Ansari, a Pasmanda Muslim and party leader from Eastern Uttar Pradesh's Ballia, as Minister of State for Minority Affairs in the Yogi Adityanath government.
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Pasmanda Muslims have played an important role in BJP's performance since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections where the party formed the government at the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Who are the Pasmanda Muslims?
The word Pasmanda is derived from the Farsi language meaning 'left behind'. This community has its stronghold in Uttar Pradesh where the Pasmandas account for around 75% of the total Muslim population. In fact, 85% of the total population of Muslims in the country is known as Pasmanda.
The Pasmanda community comprise of Dalits and Backward Muslims who are fighting a different social battle inside the society. The caste system is applicable to Asian Muslims in the same way as it is applicable in the Indian society.
Among the South Asian Muslims including those living in India, 15% are considered upper class or upper caste, called Ashraf. The remaining 85% Muslims known as Arzal and Ajlaf are considered to be Dalit and backward. Arzal means degraded. It is believed that the so-called untouchable Hindu converts are categorised as Arzal.
If reports are to be believed then the creamy section of the Muslim society looks down upon them. They are backward and oppressed economically, socially and educationally. This oppressed section among Muslims is called Pasmanda in India.
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Pasmanda is a Persian word which means people who are left behind, suppressed or persecuted. Actually the Pasmanda movement in India is 100 years old. A Muslim Pasmanda movement had emerged in the second decade of the last century.
After this, in the 90s in India, two big organisations were formed in favour of the Pasmanda Muslims. This was the All India United Muslim Front, whose leader was Ejaz Ali. Apart from this, Ali Anwar of Patna founded an organisation named All India Pasmanda Muslim Merej. However, both are termed as non-Islamic by Muslim religious leaders.
All the small organisations of Pasmanda Muslims are mostly found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Caste system in Muslim community
It can be said that Indian Muslims are also victims of caste-based system. They are generally divided into three main classes and hundreds of fraternities. Those who are upper caste Muslims are called Ashrafs, whose origin is from West or Central Asia. Such people include the Sayyids, Sheikh, Mughals, Pathans among others.
Those who converted into Islam from higher caste Hindus are derived as upper classes Muslims. They are still known as Muslim Rajput, Taga or Tyagi Muslim, Chaudhary or Chaudhary Muslim, Grahe or Gaur Muslim, Syed Brahmin. They are considered to be Muslim Brahmins.
Kunjre (Raine), Weaver (Ansari), Dhuniya (Mansoori), Kasai (Qureshi), Fakir (Alvi), Hairdresser (Salmani), Scavenger (Halalkhor), Gwala (Ghosi), Dhobi (Havarati), Blacksmith (Saifi) ), Manihar (Siddiqui), Tailor (Idrisi), Vangurjar fall under the identity of Pasmanda Muslims.
Social inequality among Muslims is called as Syedism. Various movements were launched against this domination and casteist or casteist discrimination among Muslims by Altaf (Backward Muslims) and Arzal (Dalit Muslims). These movements had started in the country in a fixed manner from the beginning of the 20th century.
