[Assam] SC: Are there castes among Muslims?

[umesh sharma]

Thats a strange question Dilip-da . I didn't expect this from you :-)
Even in marriage advt in newspapers many muslims mention their caste - which is a carry over from their Hindu castes - which is basically their last name or community name. 

Like Stuarts in Scotland can call themselves having Stuart caste. So you can have a Chauhan muslim caste or Sharma muslim caste or even Deka muslim caste or Mahanta muslim caste.

Just a matter of last name and family name. There could be a muslim person called Umesh Sharma or Dilip Deka or even George Bush - each belonging to his or her caste or community :-)

Umesh

Dilip/Dil Deka <dilipdeka at yahoo.com> wrote: I saw this in the TOI and thought it is worth sharing for comments.
Dilip

SC: Are there castes among Muslims?
26 Jan 2008, 0124 hrs IST,Dhananjay Mahapatra,TNN
 NEW DELHI: After Christian groups, a Muslim organisation has joined the quota race by challenging in Supreme Court validity of the 1950 Presidential Order limiting reservations to scheduled castes in Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, and sought reservation benefit for Dalit Muslims. 

Though both Christianity and Islam prohibit practice of caste-system and consider everyone equal, the petitioners have hinged their demand on the recommendations of central government appointed commissions headed by Justice Ranganath Misra and Justice Rajinder Sachar. 

A PIL filed by Akhil Maharashtra Muslim Khatik Samaj on Friday stated that there were Dalits within Muslim community who needed reservation, a benefit extended to similarly placed persons in Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. 

The petitioner said though Hindu Khatiks (those who slaughter animals) were included in the SC category, the Muslim Khatiks were not, despite being in the same social strata and facing similar discrimination. Muslim Khatiks are generally considered as 'Ajlaf' (the base strata of society), it said. 

Though the Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan issued notice to the Centre seeking its response on the issue, it asked the petitioner whether Islam permitted caste-system. 

"Since when have the Muslims have started following caste-system? It is surprising. We thought that it had only rich and poor divide. The assertion that caste system is practised in Islam and that certain sections need reservation is new to us," the Bench said. 

Referring to the strict dictats of Quran prohibiting practice of any forms of caste system within Islam, Justice Balakrishnan said there was no such discrimination on the basis of caste among Muslims in Kerala, his home state. 
On Tuesday, the apex court had given six weeks time to the Centre to file its response to similar petitions filed by Christian organisations and individuals seeking extension of reservation benefit to Dalits within their community.
_______________________________________________
assam mailing list
assam at assamnet.org
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org



Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)




www.gse.harvard.edu/iep  (where the above 2 are used )
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/



http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
       
---------------------------------
 Support the World Aids Awareness campaign this month with Yahoo! for Good