Odia Muslims Explained

Odia Muslims are a community of people hailing from the Indian state of Odisha who follow Islam. They mostly descend from indigenous converts 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. 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]

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

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.^[5] 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^[6]
• 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^[7]
• 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^[8]
• Harun Rashid Khan (born 1955), deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India
• Mohammad Shahid Jabbar (born 1965), football coach
• Mohammed Moquim (born 1965), MLA for Barabati-Cuttack
• Farhat Amin (born 1967), journalist and social activist

Notes and References

1. History of Modern Orissa: 1936-2000 page:5 by Kartik Chandra Rout, Published by Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2004,,
2. Web site: Hindutva's Entry into a 'Hindu Province': Early Years of RSS in Orissa . sacw.net . 2 August 2003 . The Economic and Political Weekly . Pralay . Kanungo . 29 November 2018 .
3. Book: Weekes, Richard V. . Muslim Peoples [2 Volumes]

   A World Ethnographic Survey ]

   . 1984 . Bloomsbury Academic . 978-0-313-23392-0 . 587 . en.
4. Web site: Census GIS HouseHold . 15 June 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100706213221/http://www.censusindiamaps.net/page/Religion_WhizMap1/housemap.htm . 6 July 2010 .
5. Web site: Munāzir e Islām Maulāna Muhammad Ismāil Katki Qāsmi: Life and Works. 5 December 2021. 21 June 2022. Baseerat online. Rūhul Amīn. Muhammad. ur.
6. Book: Nazish, Motiullah. Odisha Ke Mujaahideen e Aazadi. 1st. 2023. 263–266. Odisha Urdu Academy. Sanskruti Bhawan, BJB Nagar, Bhubaneswar. ur.
7. Book: Katki. Sayed Abdul Hafiz. Majlis-e-Shūra, Jamia Rashidia Riyazul Uloom Sungra. June 2004. Department of Broadcasting, Jamia Rashidia Riyazul Uloom Sungra. Gohalipur, Cuttack district. 7, 12–18. ur.
8. Web site: Mayurbhanji. Muhammad Rūhul Amīn. Prof. Maulana Sayed Kafeel Ahmed Qasmi: Biographical Sketch. qindeelonline.com. Qandeel Online. 16 September 2023. 6 October 2023. ur.