########################################################################## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooo In Bihar, Muslims are divided into 43 castes IANS Patna Nov 1: In caste-ridden Bihar, even Muslims are not free from the evil - there are as many as 43 castes in the community. Though Islam is a religion that preaches the equality of all people, Muslims in Bihar are divided into upper castes, middle castes and lower castes, says a report sponsored by the State Minorities Commission. The report on the socio-economic status of Muslims has identified 43 castes. Unlike Hindus, among whom the upper castes constitute a small part of the population, the upper castes among Muslims account for about 40.4 per cent of the community in rural areas and 41.1 per cent in urban areas, it says. Among Hindus in Bihar, upper castes account for about 13 per cent of the community and backward castes nearly 50 per cent. Within the Muslim community, the upper castes include Syed, Shaikh, Pathan (Khan) and Malik. The middle castes comprise the Momin or Ansari caste and account for 25 per cent of the total population. There are 38 lower castes among the Muslims, accounting for 34.6 per cent of the populace in rural areas and 34.4 per cent in urban areas. They include the Bakkho, Bhatiara, Chik, Churihara, Dafali, Dhunia, Dhobi and Idrisi. The 273-page report, prepared by Patna-based Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI), says that castes among Muslims are broadly based on their social status and occupations. "The distribution of Muslim population among the caste groups is very similar in rural as well as urban areas," it says. However, there are four districts - Patna, Munger, Darbhanga and Madhepura - where the upper castes constitute over 60 per cent of Muslim households. In the five districts of Rohtas, Jamui, Gaya, Aurangabad and West Champaran, the middle caste Ansaris account for over 40 per cent of Muslim households. The report is based on the 1991 census when the Muslim population in Bihar stood at 10.119 million, accounting for 15.7 per cent of the state's total population. According to the 2001 census report, the Muslim population is over 13 million in Bihar. oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooo
