Muslims of Tibet
By Masood
Butt
Tibetan Bulletin
Tibet had pockets of Muslims entrenched within its borders although there
is no documentary evidence on how Muslims first came to settle there. In fact,
information on Tibetan Muslims in general itself is scarce. But the existence
of Tibet appears to be known to the Muslim world from the earliest period of
recorded history. Arab historians like Yaqut Hamawi, Ibn Khaldun and Tabari
mention Tibet in their writings. In fact, Yaqut Hamawihas, in his book
Muajumal Buldan (encyclopaedia of countries), refers to Tibet in three
different ways Tabbat, Tibet and Tubbet.
During the reign of Umar bin Abdul Aziz (717-720) of the Persian Empire, it
is believed that a delegation from Tibet and China requested him to send
Islamic missionaries to their countries. Caliph Umar is said to have sent
Salah bin Abdullah Hanafi to Tibet. The Abbasid rulers of Baghdad also
maintained re1ations with Tibet in the eighth and the ninth centuries.
Kashmir and Eastern Turkestan were the nearest Islamic regions bordering
Tibet. It is said that Muslim migrants from Kashmir and Ladakh areas first
entered Tibet around 12th century. Gradually, marriages and social interaction
led to an increase in the population until a sizable community came up around
Lhasa, Tibet's capital. There was no large-scale conversion to Islam though.
Thomas Arnold, in his book, The Preaching of Islam, published in the early
part of this century says, "Islam has also been carried into Tibet proper by
Kashmiri merchants. Settlements of such merchants are to be found in all the
chief cities of Tibet: they marry Tibetan women, who often adopt the religion
of their husbands..."
Tibetan Muslims trace their origin from immigrants from four main regions:
China, Kashmir, Ladakh and Nepal. Islamic influence in Tibet also came from
Persia and Turkestan.
Muslims are known as Khache among Tibetans. This appear to be because the
earliest Muslim settlers to Tibet were from Kashmir which was known as Khache
Yul to Tibetans.
The arrival of Muslims was followed by the construction of mosques in
different parts of Tibet. There were four mosques in Lhasa, two in Shigatse
and one in Tsethang. In recent years, one mosque in Lhasa has been renovated,
with Tibetan Muslims from India sending religious inscriptions to it for use.
Tibetan Muslims were mainly concentrated around the mosques that they
constructed. These mosques were maintained well and were the centres of Muslim
social life in Tibet.
Tibetan Muslims led a reasonably free life in a Buddhist environment. In
fact, during the time of the fifth Dalai Lama, Tibetan Muslims received the
following special privileges:
i) They were permitted to settle their affairs independently, according to
the Shariat Laws. The government permitted the Muslim community to elect a
five-man committee, known as 'Ponj' who looked after their interest. From
among the Ponj, a leader - known as Mia to Muslims and Kbache Gopa - (Muslim
headman) among non-Muslims - was elected. ii) Tibetan Muslims were free to set
up commercial enterprises and were exempted from taxation. iii) Tibetan
Muslims were also exempted from implementing the 'no meat rule' when such a
restriction was imposed in Tibet every year during a holy Buddhist month.
Muslims were also exempted from removing their caps to Buddhist priests during
a period in a year when the priests held sway over the town. Muslims were also
granted the Mina Dronbo (invitation to different communities) status to
commemorate the assumption of spiritual and temporal authority by the fifth
Dalai Lama.
In addition, Muslims had their own burial place. There were two cemeteries
around Lhasa: one at Gyanda Linka about 12 km from Lhasa town and the other at
Kygasha about 15 km away. A portion of Gyanda Linka was turned into a garden
and this became the place where the Muslim community organised their major
functions. Gyanda Linka is said to contain unmarked graves believed to be
those of foreigners who came to preach Islam to Tibet. Kygasha was mainly used
by Muslims of Chinese origin.
The above privileges were contained in a written document provided to the
Tibetan Muslim community by the Tibetan government. These privileges were
enjoyed until Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959.
Tibetan Muslims confined themselves mainly to trade and commerce. Hardly
any of them indulged in fanning. As the community grew, Madrasas (primary
schools) were set up in which children were taught about Islam, the Koran and
the method of offering namaz (prayers). Urdu language was also part of the
curriculum. There were two such Madrasas in Lhasa and one in Shigatse.
After finishing their stuthes in these Madrasas, students were sent to
India to join Islamic institutes of higher learning such as Darul-U1oom in
Deoband, Nadwatul-U1ema in Lucknow and Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. The
annual report of Darul-U1oom for the year 1875 mention the presence of two
foreign students there: a Burmese and a Tibetan. Jamia Millia Islamia received
its first batch of Tibetan students in 1945.
In those days, transportation within Tibet was a problem. Students were
sent along with Muslim merchants making their annuals trip to India. This took
months as they had walk or ride on yaks for most of the way. Therefore, once
the students got admitted to institution in India, they usually did not return
to Tibet until the completion of a stage of their education.
Quite a few Tibetan Muslims have successfully completed their stuthes in
India, with many being well versed in Arabic, Urdu and Persian. The most
famous among them could be Faidhullah who undertook the ambitious task of
translating into Tibetan Gulestan and Boastan, Persian poetry of Sheik Sadi.
Faidhullah's is well known among Tibetans for his popular book aphorism Khache
Phalu (few words of advices from a Muslim). Even today, Tibetans continue to
quote from his book, (an English translation of Khache Phaluh as been done by
Dr. Dawa Norbu and published by the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives).
Tibetan Muslims were able to preserve their community's identity while at
the same time absorbing their traditional Tibetan social and cultural
traditions. They elected a Ponj committee to look after their affairs. The
Tibetan government approved the formation of this committee and gave it a free
hand to undertake its activities and to decide on matters concerning the
Tibetan Muslim community. Tibetan Muslims have also made significant
contribution to Tibetan culture, particularly in the field of music. Nangma, a
popular c1assica1 music of Tibet, is said to have been brought to Tibet by
Tibetan Muslims. In fact, the very term Nangma is believed to be a corruption
of the Urdu word Naghma meaning song. These high-pitched tilting songs,
developed in Tibet around the turn of the Century, were a craze in Lhasa with
musical hits by Acha Izzat, Bhai Akbar-la and Oulam Mehdi on the lips of
almost everyone.
After the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959 His Holiness the Dalai Lama
went into-exile in India followed by a significant number of Tibetans.
However, a majority of Tibetan Muslims, particularly those residing in Lhasa,
could go out of Tibet only a year later. In between they had to suffer
extortion, terrorism and cruelty under the hands of Chinese occupation forces,
like their fellow Tibetans. During this critical period, Tibetan Muslims
organised themselves. They approached the Indian mission in Lhasa to claim for
Indian citizenship, referring to their Kashmiri ancestry, to escape Chinese
tyranny. Mr. P.N.Kaul was the head of the Indian mission then. At that time,
the head of the Ponj of Tibetan Muslims was Haji Habibullah Shamo. He was,
however , under Chinese detention along with other leaders like Bhai Addul
Gani-la;.Rapse Hamidullah, Abdua1 Ahad Hajj, Abdul Qadir Jami and HajiAbdul
Gani Thapsha under various charges. While Bhai Abdu1 Gani-la was charged with
the putting up of anti-Chinese posters, Rapse Hamidullah was arrested on
account of his connection with a senior Tibetan official. The initial response
of the Indian Government was lukewarm. It said only those whose Permanent
domicile remained in the state of Jammu & Kashmir and who visited India
from time to time, whose parents or one of whose grandparents were born in
undivided India, are potential citizens of India", and it would , only accept
them. But some time later, in later 1959, the Indian Government suddenly came
out with the statement that all Tibetan Muslims were Indian nationals, and
started distributing application forms for Indian nationality among them.
Chinese illtreatment of Tibetan Muslims continued Chinese authorities duped
Tibetan Muslims into selling their property to them in return for the freedom
to emigrate to any Muslim country. Seeing this as a possible way of saving
their religion and culture, many Tibetan Muslims willingly parted with their
property. But having acquired these property, 1ibetan Muslims were not allowed
to emigrate. Instead, restrictions were imposed, and a social boycott
declared. Nobody was allowed to sell food to Tibetan Muslims. Many old and
weak Tibetan Muslims as well as children thed of starvation.
Those Tibetan Muslims who were able to cross over into India in the border
towns of Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Gangtok in late 1959 gradually moved to
Kashmir , their ancestral homeland from 1961 to 1964. They were accommodated
in three huge buildings in Idd-Gah in Srlnagar by the Indian Government. At
that time, His Holiness the Dalai Lama had sent his Representative to inquire
about the conditions of Tibetan Muslims.
During the first two decades of their life in exile, Tibetan Muslims
attempted to rebuild and re-organise themselves. Lack of proper guidance and
leadership proved to be an obstacle in their development. Also, housing in Idd
Gah was inadequate to meet the requirements of a growing family. In the
process, Tibetan Muslims began to scatter, emigrating to Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
Nepal as well as moving
to other parts of India in search of better opportunity .
His Holiness the Dalai Lama continued to keep in touch with the situation
of Tibetan Muslims. Knowing their problems, His Holiness, during his visit to
Srinagar in 1975, took up the matter with the Chief Minister of Jammu &
Kashmir. He also encouraged the formation of the Tibetan Muslim Refugee
Welfare Association. This Association began to chalk out projects for the
economic and educational upliftment of Tibetan Muslims. With an initial
financial assistance by His Holiness, coupled with assistance received, later
from Tibet Fund, New York, a handicraft centre, a co-operative shop and a
school were established. A group of young Tibetan Muslims were given training
in Carpet making in Dharamsala.
The Association was able to get some land for resettlement. Saudi Arabia
provided funds for the construction of 144 houses and a mosque in the new
settlement. Construction was completed in 1985 and the houses distributed
among the people. Not all people could be accommodated and some continued to
reside in the old settlement.
A primary school had been started in 1975 in a rented building to provide
modern as well as traditional education to Tibetan Muslim children. Although
the school was shifted to a comparatively better place in the new settlement,
it still faces problems: it is run on donations and does not have a separate
compound. However, some students are being sent to Central Schools for
Tibetans elsewhere in India. To date, 22 Tibetan Muslim children have been
admitted to Central School for Tibetans in Shimla and Dalhousie in Himachal
Pradesh state.
The Association has eight office bearers who look after the affairs of the
community . There is a Tibetan Muslim Youth Association which plays an
important role in social upliftment of the community . This youth association
is in contact
with the Tibetan Youth Congress. The Department of Health in Dharamsala has
set up a primary health care centre to look after the medical needs of the
settlers.
Nothing much is known of the present condition of Tibetan Muslims inside
Tibet. According to one report there are around 3000 Tibetan Muslims and
around 20,000 Chinese Muslims. Since the opening up of Tibet, some Tibetan
Mus1ims outside Tibet have been able to visit the country while quite a few
have also come out.
The total population of Tibetan Muslims outside Tibet is around 2000. Of
them, 20 to 25 families live in Nepal, 20 in the Gulf countries and Turkey.
Fifty families reside in Darjeeling-Kalimpong areas bordering Tibet in eastern
India. Tibetan Muslims in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Nepal have a joint Tibetan
Muslim Welfare Association based in Kalimpong. Its present general secretary
is Mr. Amanulla Chisti. During His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to
Darjeeling in April l993. Tibetan Muslims there dressed in their traditional
garments participated in a ceremony. There are around 1200 Tibetans in the new
settlement in Srinagar consisting of 210 families.
Tibetans in general have suffered greatly under Chinese occupation. Tibetan
Muslims have undergone great mental and physical strain on account of their
peculia situation. They continue to look upon their Muslim brethren throughout
the world to support peaceful solution of the Tibetan problem so that the,
too, like their Tibetan Buddhist brethren, can return to their homeland. When
asked whether he would return to Tibet in the even of a solution, a young
Tibetan Muslim responded, "It is better to live under the bridge in one's own
homeland than be a refugee in an alien
land."
