Konkani Muslims

Kokani / Kokni Muslims are a sub-ethnic group of the Konkani people living in the Konkan region of western India, who practice Islam. They speak the Konkani language.

History

History of Kokani Muslims settled in Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) is documented well in publications such as the Bombay Gazette and newspapers like Times of India since the later part of nineteenth century. Many prominent Kokani Muslim families' names, their activities and contributions to social and cultural life are accessible.

Geography

India

Konkani Muslims are natives of Konkan region in Western India, the population is mainly concentrated in the Maharashtrian districts of Mumbai, Raigad, Thane, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg. Muslim people of south Sindhudurg near Malvan and the former Maratha princely states of Sawantwadi and Oros speak a dialect of Konkani called Málvani language.

Outside India

There are Konkani Muslims in Karachi, Pakistan who migrated after the Partition of India in 1947. The Konkani Muslims in Karachi now speak Urdu and have assimilated with other Muhajirs. The Konkani Muslims in Karachi are concentrated in the Kokan Cooperative Housing Society,Gizri, in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town.

There is a large Konkani Muslim diaspora community of economic migrants working in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the UK, the USA, South Africa and East Africa (where they have been established for almost a century).

Cuisine

The main food of Konkni Muslims is non-vegetarian, mostly seafood. Its staple food is rice and bread made of rice (preferred at dinners) with fish and lentils or vegetables. It is mainly influenced by Maharashtrian cuisine.

Religion

They predominantly adhere to the Sunni Muslim Shafi'i Madhab, unlike most Muslims from the South Asia who are Hanafis[2].

Notable People

• Mukri – Bollywood Comic Actor
• Shafi Inamdar – Bollywood Actor
• Aamir Dalvi – Hindi Television actor
• Dawood Ibrahim – Mafia don and terrorist, wanted by Interpol, FBI and Indian authorities.
• Fareed Zakaria – American Journalist
• Rafiq Zakaria – Indian Politician, Educationalist and Author – Father of Farid Zakaria
• Abdul Rehman Antulay – Indian Politician, ex-Chief Minister of Maharashtra
• Hussain Dalwai – Indian Politician, Member of Parliament and Rajya Sabha Former Law Minister (Government of Maharashtra)
• Zakir Naik – Islamic speaker on comparative religion,(the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation(IRF)
• Abbas Mahamod Mukadam – Former Chief executive officer Haj committee of India - Mumbai
• Abdul Razzak Kalsekar - He established Kalsekar Trust, Kalsekar College, Kalsekar Polytechnic and Kalsekar Hospital among many other charitable institutions. His special interest lay in the education sector and he had established many schools, colleges and orphanages.
• Imran Yusuf – British Comedian

External links

• iKokani-A Complete Kokani Muslim Community Portal
• Konkani History
• Konkni Muslim Association Birmingham