Today, the Memon people are connected through globally recognized organisations such as the World Memon Organisation (WMO)[4] and International Memon Organisation (IMO).[5]
Memon lineage traces back to Lohanas of Sindh, who practiced Hinduism.[6][7] The origin of the name comes from Mu'min (مؤمن, "believer" in Arabic) and later evolved to present name Memon.[8] The Memon community was founded in the 15th century by 700 families comprising 6,178 persons total.[9] According to Anthovan, those Lohanas of Thatta who converted from Hinduism to Islam became Memons and were invited by Rao Khengarji Jadeja, ruler of Bhuj in the 16th century, to settle in Bhuj.[6][7] It is from there that Kutchi Memons migrated to Kathiawar and mainland Gujarat. Surat in Gujarat was an important trading centre from 1580 to 1680 and Memons made their bounty there.[10] Memons became significantly affluent as a result of trading in Surat.[11]
Merchant tradesman
Memon men, from Photographs of Western India Series 1855-1862
Due to the mercantile nature of the community, Memons began a significant migration beyond the borders of India in the 18th and 19th centuries. This led to communities developing in the Middle East, South Africa, Sri Lanka and East Asia.[8] Memon traders set up a network of joint stock companies acting in coordination with other members in an area ranging from Central Africa to China.[3][12][13] Memon donors made significant financial contributions to construct mosques during this time, including Juma Masjid Mosque[8] and Jamia Mosque.[14] By late 19th century several thousand Memons had settled in Mumbai due to trading. Memon representative leaders traded with British capitalists to develop their Indian monopolies.[3] The area of Mumbai in which the Memon traders congregated later became known as the Memonwada.[15]
20th century
The early 20th century saw a consolidation of the Memon community in South Asia as well as South Africa. They began to organise important societies including Memon Education and Welfare Society and Memon Chamber of Commerce.[3] Memon community made significant financial contributions to preserve the Ottoman Empire but were unable to prevent its decline.[16][17] The partition of Pakistan and India led to significant migration in both directions for the community. During middle of the twentieth century, a handful of Memon financial dynasties were born. However, the dynastic wealth of the Memon families stagnated during the late twentieth century due to the partition of Pakistan as well as political turmoil of the country.[18]
Memon women, from Photographs of Western India Series 1855–1862
While Memons are generally Sunni Muslims, many continue to follow Modern Hindu law in matters regarding property inheritance, community leadership structure and mutual support for members. Memon see themselves to be from the Buddhist Kshatriya lineage. Even within Memons, there are caste hierarchies that some follow regarding marriage practices.[3][19][need quotation to verify]
According to folklore, the blessings of the Islamic saint Sayad Kadiri upon the Memons are responsible for their success in business and trade.[8] A more pragmatic explanation for their success is that Memon have been historically considered honest brokers. Following commercial caste model, Memons also offer support community members in financial matters by giving loans and offering business assistance.[3] The community annually celebrates 11 April as "Memons Day" through acts of humanitarian service.[20]
Memons worldwide
Katchi Memon Masjid
Today, Memon communities are scattered throughout the world including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.[21] However, major concentrations of Memon remain located in Karachi, Pakistan and Gujarat, India. In Karachi there is a community of Memon people from Bantva and their descendants known as Bantva Memons. United under the banner of Halari Memon General Jama'at, the Halari Memon are another category and followers of the Hanafi school.[22]
Memons were also one of three classes living in South Africa when Mahatma Gandhi went there in 1893, Memons were traders serving the Indian diaspora in South Africa. Memons are known for their involvement in business and philanthropy, with Memons having played a major part in the building of Pakistani industry.[3][23]
^ abcd"Memon association to congregate today - Times of India". The Times of India. 14 February 2014.
^ abFazal, Tanweer (18 October 2013). Minority Nationalisms in South Asia. Routledge. ISBN9781317966463.
^ abcdefgLevin, Sergey (1974). "The Upper Bourgeoisie from the Muslim Commercial Community of Memons in Pakistan, 1947 to 1971". Asian Survey. 14 (3): 231–243. doi:10.2307/2643012. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2643012.
^"IMO - International Memon Organization". www.internationalmemon.org. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
^ abPirbhai, M. Reza (30 September 2009). Reconsidering Islam in a South Asian Context. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. p. 128. ISBN978-90-474-3102-2. Thus, it was established that Khojas and Memons converted from Hinduism under the influence of Ismai'li and Sunni pirs, respectively.
^ abGoswami, Chhaya (18 February 2016). Globalization before Its Time: The Gujarati Merchants from Kachchh. Penguin Books. ISBN978-93-85890-70-3. Most of the Muslim traders were Hindus of different castes who had converted to Islam. The Memons were said to have been Lohanas
^ abcdVahed, Goolam (January 2006). "'Unhappily Torn by Dissensions and Litigations': Durban's 'Memon' Mosque, 1880–1930". Journal of Religion in Africa. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. 36 (1): 23–49. doi:10.1163/157006606775569631. eISSN 1570-0666. ISSN 0022-4200. JSTOR 27594362.
^Ghadially, R (1991). "All for 'Izzat'" (PDF). Manushi (66): 17–20. PMID 12285436. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
^Islamic Perspective, a Biannual Journal. A special issue on Bohras, Khojas and Memons. Ed. by Asghar Ali Engineer, Bombay, Institute of Islamic Studies. vol.1, Jan 1988, pp. 41-48 [1]
^Vahed, Goolam (January 2001). "Mosques, Mawlanas and Muharram: Indian Islam in Colonial Natal, 1860–1910". Journal of Religion in Africa. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. 31 (3): 305–335. doi:10.1163/157006601X00194. eISSN 1570-0666. ISSN 0022-4200.
^Papanek, Hanna (1972). "Pakistan's Big Businessmen: Muslim Separatism, Entrepreneurship, and Partial Modernization". Economic Development and Cultural Change. 21 (1): 11. doi:10.1086/450605. S2CID 86853602.
^Eisenlohr, Patrick (1972). "The Politics of Diaspora and the Morality of Secularism: Muslim Identities and Islamic Authority in Mauritius". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 12 (2): 400.
^WAI-YIP, Ho (2001). "Historical Analysis of Islamic Community Development in Hong Kong: Struggle for Recognition in the Post-colonial Era". Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. Taylor & Francis. 21: 65.
^Chopra, Preeti (2007). "Refiguring the Colonial City: Recovering the Role of Local Inhabitants in the Construction of Colonial Bombay, 1854-1918". Buildings & Landscapes. 14: 109–125. doi:10.1353/bdl.2007.0007. S2CID 161702822.
^Moosa, Ismail (2014). "Role of Memon Community during the Caliphate Movement". British Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences. 11 (1).
^Oishi, Takashi (1999). "Muslim Merchant Capital and the Relief Movement for the Ottoman Empire in India, 1876-1924". Minamiajiakenkyu. 11: 71–103.
^"Caste capitalism in Pakistan". The News on Sunday.
^Mallampalli, Chandra (2010). "Escaping the Grip of Personal Law in Colonial India: Proving Custom, Negotiating Hindu-ness". Law and History Review. American Society for Legal History. 28 (4): 1060. doi:10.1017/S0738248010000763. S2CID 144494384.
^Wajihuddin, Mohammed (12 April 2017). "Humanitarian work marks Memons' Day". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
^DH (17 April 2007). "KARACHI: 300-bed teaching hospital planned - Newspaper - DAWN.COM". DAWN. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
^"City Nazim praises services of Memon community". Pakistan Press International. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire. 13 October 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
^DH (15 October 2014). "CM wants constitutional path to resolve OGDC issue - Newspaper - DAWN.COM". DAWN. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
External links
Media related to Memon people at Wikimedia Commons
October 26, 2023
memon, people, other, uses, memon, disambiguation, memon, muslim, community, gujarat, india, sindh, pakistan, majority, whom, follow, hanafi, fiqh, sunni, islam, they, divided, into, different, groups, based, their, origins, kathiawari, memons, kutchi, memons,. For other uses see Memon disambiguation The Memon are a Muslim community in Gujarat India and Sindh Pakistan the majority of whom follow the Hanafi fiqh of Sunni Islam 3 They are divided into different groups based on their origins Kathiawari Memons Kutchi Memons and Bantva Memons from the Kathiawar Kutch and Bantva regions of Gujarat respectively and Sindhi Memons from Sindh Memon PeopleTotal population1 800 000 1 Regions with significant populationsIndia900 000 including 200 000 in Mumbai and suburbs 1 Pakistan700 000 1 Elsewhere200 000 1 LanguagesMemoni 2 Sindhi Kutchi ReligionIslamMemons have cultural similarities with the Khoja Bohra and other Gujarati peoples They speak the Memoni language as their first language which shares vocabulary with the Sindhi language Kutchi language and Gujarati languages 2 Today the Memon people are connected through globally recognized organisations such as the World Memon Organisation WMO 4 and International Memon Organisation IMO 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 Sindhi Gujarati origins 1 2 Merchant tradesman 1 3 20th century 1 4 Branches 1 4 1 Subgroups of Memons from Kathiawar 1 5 Languages 2 Social structure 2 1 Cultural traditions 2 2 Memons worldwide 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistorySindhi Gujarati origins nbsp Gujarat India circa early 20th CenturyMemon lineage traces back to Lohanas of Sindh who practiced Hinduism 6 7 The origin of the name comes from Mu min مؤمن believer in Arabic and later evolved to present name Memon 8 The Memon community was founded in the 15th century by 700 families comprising 6 178 persons total 9 According to Anthovan those Lohanas of Thatta who converted from Hinduism to Islam became Memons and were invited by Rao Khengarji Jadeja ruler of Bhuj in the 16th century to settle in Bhuj 6 7 It is from there that Kutchi Memons migrated to Kathiawar and mainland Gujarat Surat in Gujarat was an important trading centre from 1580 to 1680 and Memons made their bounty there 10 Memons became significantly affluent as a result of trading in Surat 11 Merchant tradesman nbsp Memon men from Photographs of Western India Series 1855 1862Due to the mercantile nature of the community Memons began a significant migration beyond the borders of India in the 18th and 19th centuries This led to communities developing in the Middle East South Africa Sri Lanka and East Asia 8 Memon traders set up a network of joint stock companies acting in coordination with other members in an area ranging from Central Africa to China 3 12 13 Memon donors made significant financial contributions to construct mosques during this time including Juma Masjid Mosque 8 and Jamia Mosque 14 By late 19th century several thousand Memons had settled in Mumbai due to trading Memon representative leaders traded with British capitalists to develop their Indian monopolies 3 The area of Mumbai in which the Memon traders congregated later became known as the Memonwada 15 20th century The early 20th century saw a consolidation of the Memon community in South Asia as well as South Africa They began to organise important societies including Memon Education and Welfare Society and Memon Chamber of Commerce 3 Memon community made significant financial contributions to preserve the Ottoman Empire but were unable to prevent its decline 16 17 The partition of Pakistan and India led to significant migration in both directions for the community During middle of the twentieth century a handful of Memon financial dynasties were born However the dynastic wealth of the Memon families stagnated during the late twentieth century due to the partition of Pakistan as well as political turmoil of the country 18 Branches Subgroups of Memons from Kathiawar Main article Memons Kathiawar Languages Main articles Memon language Sindhi language and Kutchi languageSocial structureCultural traditions nbsp Memon women from Photographs of Western India Series 1855 1862While Memons are generally Sunni Muslims many continue to follow Modern Hindu law in matters regarding property inheritance community leadership structure and mutual support for members Memon see themselves to be from the Buddhist Kshatriya lineage Even within Memons there are caste hierarchies that some follow regarding marriage practices 3 19 need quotation to verify According to folklore the blessings of the Islamic saint Sayad Kadiri upon the Memons are responsible for their success in business and trade 8 A more pragmatic explanation for their success is that Memon have been historically considered honest brokers Following commercial caste model Memons also offer support community members in financial matters by giving loans and offering business assistance 3 The community annually celebrates 11 April as Memons Day through acts of humanitarian service 20 Memons worldwide nbsp Katchi Memon MasjidToday Memon communities are scattered throughout the world including the United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia Sri Lanka South Africa the United Kingdom the United States and Canada 21 However major concentrations of Memon remain located in Karachi Pakistan and Gujarat India In Karachi there is a community of Memon people from Bantva and their descendants known as Bantva Memons United under the banner of Halari Memon General Jama at the Halari Memon are another category and followers of the Hanafi school 22 Memons were also one of three classes living in South Africa when Mahatma Gandhi went there in 1893 Memons were traders serving the Indian diaspora in South Africa Memons are known for their involvement in business and philanthropy with Memons having played a major part in the building of Pakistani industry 3 23 See alsoList of Memon peopleReferences a b c d Memon association to congregate today Times of India The Times of India 14 February 2014 a b Fazal Tanweer 18 October 2013 Minority Nationalisms in South Asia Routledge ISBN 9781317966463 a b c d e f g Levin Sergey 1974 The Upper Bourgeoisie from the Muslim Commercial Community of Memons in Pakistan 1947 to 1971 Asian Survey 14 3 231 243 doi 10 2307 2643012 ISSN 0004 4687 JSTOR 2643012 World Memon Organisation Serving Mankind wmoworld com Retrieved 9 October 2019 IMO International Memon Organization www internationalmemon org Retrieved 9 October 2019 a b Pirbhai M Reza 30 September 2009 Reconsidering Islam in a South Asian Context Leiden and Boston Brill Publishers p 128 ISBN 978 90 474 3102 2 Thus it was established that Khojas and Memons converted from Hinduism under the influence of Ismai li and Sunni pirs respectively a b Goswami Chhaya 18 February 2016 Globalization before Its Time The Gujarati Merchants from Kachchh Penguin Books ISBN 978 93 85890 70 3 Most of the Muslim traders were Hindus of different castes who had converted to Islam The Memons were said to have been Lohanas a b c d Vahed Goolam January 2006 Unhappily Torn by Dissensions and Litigations Durban s Memon Mosque 1880 1930 Journal of Religion in Africa Leiden and Boston Brill Publishers 36 1 23 49 doi 10 1163 157006606775569631 eISSN 1570 0666 ISSN 0022 4200 JSTOR 27594362 Ghadially R 1991 All for Izzat PDF Manushi 66 17 20 PMID 12285436 Retrieved 11 June 2017 Islamic Perspective a Biannual Journal A special issue on Bohras Khojas and Memons Ed by Asghar Ali Engineer Bombay Institute of Islamic Studies vol 1 Jan 1988 pp 41 48 1 Vahed Goolam January 2001 Mosques Mawlanas and Muharram Indian Islam in Colonial Natal 1860 1910 Journal of Religion in Africa Leiden and Boston Brill Publishers 31 3 305 335 doi 10 1163 157006601X00194 eISSN 1570 0666 ISSN 0022 4200 Papanek Hanna 1972 Pakistan s Big Businessmen Muslim Separatism Entrepreneurship and Partial Modernization Economic Development and Cultural Change 21 1 11 doi 10 1086 450605 S2CID 86853602 Eisenlohr Patrick 1972 The Politics of Diaspora and the Morality of Secularism Muslim Identities and Islamic Authority in Mauritius Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 12 2 400 WAI YIP Ho 2001 Historical Analysis of Islamic Community Development in Hong Kong Struggle for Recognition in the Post colonial Era Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs Taylor amp Francis 21 65 Chopra Preeti 2007 Refiguring the Colonial City Recovering the Role of Local Inhabitants in the Construction of Colonial Bombay 1854 1918 Buildings amp Landscapes 14 109 125 doi 10 1353 bdl 2007 0007 S2CID 161702822 Moosa Ismail 2014 Role of Memon Community during the Caliphate Movement British Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences 11 1 Oishi Takashi 1999 Muslim Merchant Capital and the Relief Movement for the Ottoman Empire in India 1876 1924 Minamiajiakenkyu 11 71 103 Caste capitalism in Pakistan The News on Sunday Mallampalli Chandra 2010 Escaping the Grip of Personal Law in Colonial India Proving Custom Negotiating Hindu ness Law and History Review American Society for Legal History 28 4 1060 doi 10 1017 S0738248010000763 S2CID 144494384 Wajihuddin Mohammed 12 April 2017 Humanitarian work marks Memons Day The Times of India Retrieved 26 May 2020 DH 17 April 2007 KARACHI 300 bed teaching hospital planned Newspaper DAWN COM DAWN Retrieved 4 August 2015 City Nazim praises services of Memon community Pakistan Press International Asia Africa Intelligence Wire 13 October 2003 Retrieved 20 January 2010 DH 15 October 2014 CM wants constitutional path to resolve OGDC issue Newspaper DAWN COM DAWN Retrieved 5 August 2015 External links nbsp Media related to Memon people at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Memon people amp oldid 1181749105, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
