Assam Government: Panel set to pass order to Identify Muslims In State As Distinct Community

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• Apr 23, 2022 | Poonam Nath

The government of Assam has formed a panel that has suggested that a notification be issued to recognize Assamese Muslims as an indigenous minority.

Digital Desk: Assam Government set panel has recommended passing a notification to recognize Muslims in Assam as an indigenous population on Saturday. 

According to the panel, This will help them express their different identities, reflected in an identity card or certificate. A separate body for Assamese Muslims should be established.

At a ceremony conducted at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati on April 21, the seven sub-committees presented their reports to state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The general development of the indigenous Assamese Muslim population in Assam was covered in this research.

The Assam government may conduct a census to identify and document the Assamese Muslim community. The panels also recommended enforcing the population policy and taking steps to protect, develop, and promote Assamese Muslim-related historical landmarks and monuments in the north-eastern state.

The state administration hosted meetings with famous persons from indigenous minority communities around the state under CM Himanta Sarma's leadership.

The meeting decided to form sub-groups to research and provide suggestions on cultural identity, health, education, skill development, population stabilization, financial inclusion, and women empowerment. Sub-committees drafted a report with recommendations for the socioeconomic and intellectual empowerment of the indigenous Assamese Muslim population, including women's representation on the Waqf Board and in all social and religious institutions.

The indigenous Assamese Muslim community has three primary groups: the Goriyas, the Moriya's (from Upper Assam), and the Deshis (from Lower Assam). While the Deshis are descendants of 13th-century converts from indigenous populations such as the Koch Rajbongshi and Mech, the Goriyas and Moriya are descendants of converts and warriors, artisans, and other Ahom-era immigrants. Julha Muslims, for example, is a smaller group that falls within this category.

The Cultural Identity Sub-Committees have made several other recommendations to the state government for the overall development of Indigenous Assamese Muslims.

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