- Muslim Shaikh
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The Muslim Shaikh (Urdu, Punjabi: مسلم شیخ) or Mussali are a community found in the Punjab province of Pakistan[1] The Shah Khel community of the North West Frontier Province, has similar roots.
Contents
History and origin
A community that embraced Islam from the Hindu Chuhra caste. The Hindu Chuhra were the scavengers and sweepers of Punjab.[2] There are a number of traditions as to the origin of the Chuhra. Most of these carry its history back to Balmik, as the ancestor of the tribe.
During the 19th Century, many Chuhras converted to Islam, especially in the western parts of Punjab, and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
They were tanners and sweepers of the village communities, and use to live in huts at a distance from the village. There job included collecting sewage from houses. But by the 19th Century, most of them had taken to agricultural work. They were paid in kind by the farmers, and not cash.
Shah Khel
In the North-West Frontier Province, and the Chach region of Punjab, is known as the Shah Khel. Their traditional occupation is both grave digging and sweeping.
Distribution
They are found throughout the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province provinces of Pakistan.
Language
They speak various dialects of Punjabi, depending where they reside.[3] The Shah Khel are a Pashto speaking community,though not recognized by other Pakhtun tribes as Pakhtun.
Present circumstances
The Muslim Shaikh as a community remain at the bottom of the Pakistani society. This has been confirmed by number of recent case studies. For example a recent report on the conditions of the Muslim Shaikh came to this conclusion:
"The respondents in this village are of the Mussali caste, the lowest caste in Punjab and Sindh. They claim to have settled in this village over 200 years ago. They live in a cluster of 30 houses 300 yards from the main houses of the village. The houses used to number 200 at first. Their people used to earn from begging and chaj-making, and later added agricultural and livestock work. Some went to the city and made some savings. Now the community is divided between the richer ones who do the livestock business and liveoutside the village in nearby cities, and the others who are permanent residents and do agricultural and domestic work. Their families have served the landlords of Jutt for many generations, and their women have kept their houses in return for left-over food. They believe that their association with begging is a thing of the past, taking place only rarely in the village and not at all among their community members inthe city. The wealthier community members who left the village still come back to marry their children within the clan. They get free wood and milk from the landlord on weddings and deaths." [4] It is further found that many Muslim Shaikh were still involved in their traditional occupation of begging.
"The main castes or kinship groups involved are Bhatoo (Punjabi Muslim), Bhagri (Sindhi Hindu), Mirasi(Rajasthani-origin Muslim), and Mussali (or Muslim Sheikhs from the Punjab). These groups are to befound begging in all the large urban sites in Punjab and Sindh, as discussed in Section II above. In addition, Mussalis are to be found at the bus stop in Shahdadpur and also in Singpura and China Scheme in Lahore. Mirasis were observed in Shaukat Park, Sargodha. Finally, in both the rural sites of village A in Punjab, where Musallis were identified as beggars, and in village C, caste-based begging is again in evidence."[5]
Muslim Shaikh also suffer from being bonded labourers, as a number of recent studies have shown.
See also
- Shah Khel
- Halalkhor
References
- ^ A Glossary of the tribes & castes of Punjab by H. A Rose
- ^ A Glossary of the tribes & castes of Punjab by H. A Rose
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer of India Punjab Volume 2
- ^ http://google.com/searchq=cache:hXmqW5kfCu0J:se2.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent%3FserviceID%3D10%26fileid%3D3C132E93-A640-AA92-7BAD-92FE85D6EE11%26lng%3Den+musali+community+punjab&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
- ^ http://google.com/searchq=cache:hXmqW5kfCu0J:se2.isn.ch/serviceengine/FileContent%3FserviceID%3D10%26fileid%3D3C132E93-A640-AA92-7BAD-92FE85D6EE11%26lng%3Den+musali+community+punjab&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
Categories:- Punjabi tribes
- Social groups of Pakistan
- Shaikh clans
- Surnames
- Pre-Islamic heritage of Pakistan
- Ethnic groups in Pakistan
- Muslim communities
- Dalit
- Social groups of Punjab (Pakistan)
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