5 Muslim groups in Assam to get 'indigenous community' status to protect identity from other Bengali-speaking Muslims

The status has been offered to Goria, Moria, Deshi, Jolah tea tribe and Sayeed communities to protect their identity against the large Bengali-speaking Muslim population

Five Muslim communities in Assam will soon be offered the status of "indigenous communities" to protect their identity against the large Bengali-speaking Muslim population.

The BJP-led government, in its cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening, approved the proposal to offer "indigenous community" status to Goria, Moria, Deshi, Jolah tea tribe and Sayeed communities, in view of their long demand for the same.

The move came days after the BJP-led government decided to offer identity cards to six religious minority communities, Muslims (except the indigenous Muslims), Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and Parsis. The government said the identity cards would be given for their "identification" and to allow them to get benefits under the schemes meant for the welfare of the minorities.

Interestingly, the state government is yet to finalise who form the indigenous Assamese community.

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According to organisations representing the Assamese Muslims, of the 1.18 crore Muslim population in Assam, nearly 42 lakh belong to indigenous Assamese communities such as Goria, Moria, Ujani, Deshi, Jola and Poimal. They had either converted to Islam or were war prisoners in the Mughal-Ahom battles in Assam in the 13th Century.

Seven committees constituted by the state government suggested in May this year that these groups should be accorded "indigenous community" status. It suggested that the Assam government could undertake a census to identify and document the Assamese Muslims and enact a provision similar to Article 333 of the Indian Constitution to provide representation in the Parliament and Assam Legislative Assembly.

The panels were constituted by the BJP-led government following long demand and apprehension expressed by Assamese Muslims about the threat to their identity, mainly from a large population of Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state.

The move, however, is seen by Bengali-speaking Muslims as a step to create a division among Muslims in Assam and further "alienate" them. As its poll plank, the BJP has been targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state, calling them "Bangladeshis''