| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 25 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pasmanda |
The Julaha are a community of Pakistan and India, which adopted the profession of weaving.
Julaha, Momin and Ansari are the names of one and the same backward community of weavers and they are Socially and Educationally Backward. The members of the community have been using. the name "Ansari" since many centuries either at the beginning or at the end of their personal names throughout the country because the word "Julaha" was being used by others to express their contempt, hatred and as a mark of disrespect to the members of this caste engaged in spinning and weaving.
In order to get rid of this mark of inferiority, contempt and hatred associated with the name "Julaha", the members of the community began to use the word "Momin" and/or "Ansari", more particularly the word "Ansari" as the word "Momin" is equivalent to the word "Muslim". Despite the change in the name, they are still being looked down upon, treated as inferior and low-caste by the Sayeds, Shaikhs, Khans and other communities amongst the Muslims. [1]
Etymology
The term Julaha may derive from the Persian julah (ball of thread). [2]
Both Hindu and Muslim Julaha groups exist; a number of the Muslim Julaha later changed their group name to terms such as Ansari (but not all Ansari's are Julaha). [3]
The Julah community comes from a diverse background as some are believed to be of Aboriginal descent [4] while others come from influential communities such as Mughal, Rajput, Awan, etc... [5]It's speculated that after experiencing a loss of wealth many took to weaving while those of a lowers social standing took up weaving to enhance it.
Statistics
Although reliable statistics are old, as per survey done in 1990s, the total population of Julahas in India was around 12 million. It is estimated, the actual numbers today might be double the said figure.[ citation needed]
As per Caste Based Survey of Bihar 2022, the total number of Julahas in Bihar was 4.6 million. [6]
Prominent Figures
Prominent Figures from Julaha/Ansari community include:
- Maulana Asim Bihari
- Abdul Qaiyum Ansari
- Ali Anwar Ansari
- Furkan Ansari
- Irfan Ansari
- Haji Hussain Ansari
- Hafizul Hasan
See also
References
-
^
"National Commission for Backward Classes" (PDF). National Commission for Backward Classes. [/web/20240310000309/
https://ncbc.nic.in/Writereaddata/addmh2.pdf Archived] (PDF) from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
{{ cite web}}: Check|archive-url=value ( help) - ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh; India, Anthropological Survey of (1 January 1993). The scheduled castes. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 9780195632545.
- ^ Gottschalk, Peter (27 October 2005). Beyond Hindu and Muslim: Multiple Identity in Narratives from Village India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199760527.
- ^ https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/download/AGlossaryoftheTribesandCastesofthePunjabandNorthWestFrontierProvince_10854869.pdf
- ^ https://archive.org/details/panjabcastes00ibbe
- ^ "Bihar caste survey: Muslim groups among backwards the new bone of contention". The Indian Express. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
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