GUWAHATI: The Assam cabinet has given the approval for the socio-economic survey of the state's indigenous Muslim population.
This decision has been made a year-and-a-half after the recognition of five communities as "indigenous Assamese Muslims" by the Himanta Biswa Sarma government.
The Directorate of Char Areas Development will be rebranded as the Directorate of Minority Affairs and Char Areas to carry out the socio-economic assessment of the identified "indigenous" Muslims, as announced by the Assam Cabinet.
Assam, with a Muslim population exceeding 34% according to the 2011 Census, is among the states with the highest Muslim demographic, trailing only Lakshadweep and Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the distinction between native Assamese-speaking Muslims and Bangladeshi-origin, Bengali-speaking immigrants has long been a point of contention.
Of the state's total population of 3.1 crore, over 1 crore are Muslims, with approximately 40 lakh being native, Assamese-speaking Muslims, as per reports.
The categorisation of Goria, Moria, Jolah (limited to those residing in tea gardens), Desi, and Syed (Assamese-speaking only) communities as native Assamese Muslims was announced by the Himanta government in July of last year.
This classification was based on the recommendations of seven sub-committees formed by the state government, responding to the persistent demands of these communities to be recognized as indigenous.
The identified groups, who converted to Islam between the 13th and 17th centuries, have distinct linguistic and cultural ties to the region. Unlike Bengali-speaking migrants, their mother tongue is Assamese, and their cultural practices align closely with native Hindus.
Historical ties, such as the Gorias and Morias working for Ahom kings and the Desis originally being Koch-Rajbongshis who converted to Islam, further emphasise their deep roots in Assam.
Addressing the concerns of marginalisation and the lack of benefits, especially in comparison to Bengali-speaking Muslims, has been a longstanding demand of these communities.
