Accept "Miya" Muslims as an Important Part of Assamese Society: Sherman Ali

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• Oct 28, 2022 | Dhupali Das

He claimed that there were approximately 10 million "Miya" people living in the state...

Digital Desk: Assam Congress MLA Sherman Ali, who was suspended from the party after demanding a 'Miya Museum' in the state, has now requested that the state government and Assamese civil society groups recognize the state's 'Miya' minority as an important part of Assamese society.

He claimed that there were approximately 10 million "Miya" people living in the state.

Bengali-speaking Muslims living in riverine islands and sandbars of Brahmaputra and its tributaries who migrated to Assam from present-day Bangladesh from time to time call themselves 'Miya'.

Miya Parishad recently opened a private Miya Museum in Assam's Goalpara district, which sparked outrage among the indigenous Assamese community, who perceive it as a danger to their identity.

The so-called museum displayed traditional fishing gear, farming implements, and lungis, among other items.

In response, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that aside from a "Lungi" in the museum, nothing else in the museum belonged to the Miya community and that the state government would look into the matter.

"What exactly is this museum? I don't know. Except for Lungi, the materials displayed there are Assamese. They have installed Nangol (a tool used to plough land), fishing equipment there, but our scheduled caste people have used these traditional forms of equipment for hundreds of years. What else is new there than "Lungi"?" CM Sarma said.

Meanwhile, the district administration has closed the so-called museum, claiming that it was inaugurated unlawfully in a government-funded PMAY house. Three people were arrested in connection with the museum.