Memon people

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Memon (Gujarati: મેમણ; Sindhi: ميمڻ; Hindi: मेमन; Urdu: میمن) a minority social group primarily connected with the Indian sub-continent trace their roots largely to Sindh, Kutch and Kathiawar.[1] They adhere to Hanafi Sunni Islam. Many Memon are businesspeople and entrepreneurs. They share a common tongue, which is a mixture of Sindhi and Kutchi. Many belong to the local and well-organized societies called "Jamat" (which literally means congregation), for the social welfare of their brethren. They have built vast business legacies and most Memons around the world belong to the middle-upper class.

Memon community may be divided into three main groups. Those who traced their ancestors from Kutch region are identified as Kutchi Memon and they speak Kutchi dialects. Those who traced their ancestry to Kathiawar are identified as simply Memon or Kathiawadi Memons or Hali Memons and they speak Memoni. Those Memon who remained in Sindh (their ancestor never migrated to neighboring regions such as Kutch and Kathiawar) are identified as Sindhi Memon and speak Sindhi language.

Many Memon, especially Kathiawadi Memon, further distinguished themselves into various sub-groups which generally refer to their ancestral villages or towns such as Bantva Memons, Jutpur Memons and Deeplai Memon. It is estimated that the number of Kathiawadi Memon, other than Kutchi and Sindhi Memon, worldwide are over one million.[2]

History

Sindhi origins

A number of theories have been proposed about the origins of the Memon community. These theories, although similar, differ in their details. This could be due to the fact that Memons have had to rely on oral history in order to determine their origins.[1]

According to Dadani, Memon community came into existence in 824 Hijri (1422 CE) when 700 families comprising of 6,178 persons belonging to the Lohana community of Sindh accepted Islam.[3]

According to Anthovan, those Lohanas of Thhato, who had also converted to Islam and became Memons, were invited by Jarejho Roa Khanghar, ruler of Bhuj (1548-1584) to settle in Bhuj. It is from there that Katchi Memons migrated to Kathiawar and Gujarat. Surat in Gujarat was an important trading center during 1580 to 1680 and Memons made their bounty there. Later, the Memons reached Bombay.[4] Diwan Bherumal M. Advani writes that all the Memons of Bombay, Gujarat and Kutch are Lohanas from Sindh. (A volume written by Mr. Anthovan, part 2, pages 52 and 53).[4]

Another theory states that Memons originated in 1422 CE from Thatta in Sindh. The converts were first called Momins or Mumins and the term, with the march of time, changed to Memons.[5] The story related therein states that some 700 Lohana families, (inclusive, perhaps of some earlier covert and neo-Muslim converts) comprising of some 6178 individuals, accepted Islam at the hands of one Sayed Yusuffuddin Quadri R.A. and finding themselves banished by their erstwhile Hindu brothers were forced to migrate.[1] This was also stated by Hussain Kassim Dada from his Presidential Chail at the first ever All India Memon Conference in Rajkot in the year 1931.

Language

Memons speak a non-written dialect called Memoni, a mixture of Sindhi and Kutchi which belongs to the Indic (North-Western Zone) family of languages.[citation needed] While the Sindhi and Kutchi languages are spoken by both Muslims and non-Muslims, Memoni refers exclusively to the vernacular of the Kathiawadi Memons who are Sunni (Hanafi) Muslims that migrated from Sindh to the neighbouring regions of Kutch and Kathiawar in Gujarat several centuries ago[citation needed]. In stress, intonation, and everyday speech, Memoni is very similar to Sindhi, but it borrows vocabulary extensively from Gujarati, Hindustani and lately English. Like most languages of the Indian subcontinent the sentence structure of Memoni generally follows subject -> object -> verb order. [6]

Social structure

Role of the Jamat

The following are some common well organized societies or welfare associations called Jamat (Gujarati script: જમાત ) of the Kathiawadi Memons community which is generally reference to their ancestral village or town in Kathiawar, Gujarat, India

There are also Memons called Tharadi Memon mainly located in North Gujarat. Main Jamat Himmatnagar, Idar etc..

Memons today

Memons migrated from Sindh to Kutch, and latter to Kathiawar (Kathiawad) and other part of Gujarat. Memons spread throughout the Indian Ocean basin in the 19th century, but most Memons lived in Kathiawar, prior to the Partition of India. Many later settled in Pakistan. Today, they are scattered throughout India and Pakistan, with significant communities in the United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE, South Africa, and Burma.

Memons are known for their involvement in business and philanthropy, with Memons having played a major part in the building of Pakistani industry, an increasing number of Memons are turning to professional occupations.[7]

Owing to their tradition of management and attention to detail, Memons are a prosperous community. You will usually find them owning convenience stores, gas stations, Subway sandwich stores, dollar stores, dry cleaners, etc. They have built vast business legacies and a high percentage of Memons around the world belong to the upper-middle class [8]

Memoni is falling into disuse and the younger generation is unlikely to learn it as their mother tongue for various reasons:

  1. Non-existence of language learning tools, especially disappearance of Gujarati in Pakistan
  2. Many second generation parents do not know their mother tongue themselves.
  3. Memoni is going out of fashion among younger generations. [citation needed]

Religious beliefs and customs

Religious practices

Memons follow the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. In South East Asia the Hanafi school is further branched into two main maslak (path or approaches) Deobandi and Barelvi.The Sunni Hanafi school of law is divided into Deobandis and Barelvis school of law in South Asia.[9] Up till now, the Memons have not produced many Top Islamic scholars their own, they generally rely on others for their spiritual guidance. This however, is changing now, and great scholars such as Allama Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri, and many others are emerging. Memons have had a historic and one could say a close tie with the Tablighi Jamaat who have stamped out old customs and ceremonies practiced many decades ago.

Marriage customs

Memons usually marry within their own social affiliation (Jamat) (endogamy), depending on circumstances a group (Jamat) may be as small as few hundred families and as large as few thousand families. For example Kutchi Memon define their jamat to be entire group having very few sub-groups whereas Kathiawadi Memons are branched into few dozens sub-groups. For Kathiawadi Memon a group, by and large, usually shares their ancestor village in Kathiawad as a reference point. Marriage between close relatives especially first cousins is discouraged but such reunion is possible where a group is too small. Marriage outside the social group is rare, and for some, a marriage outside their group (Jamat) perceives to be shameful and dishonor. Also inter-Memon marriage involving different Jamats especially Kutchi and Kathiawadi is not well regarded.

Polygamy, child marriage and divorce are unheard or rare. Most marriages are arranged and planned by their parents, family often engage a professional matchmaker for fee, matches are made after taking into account of family social standing, education earnings potential and often complexion. Often a proposed marriage must be pre-approved from Jamat to ensure that the family is in good standing. Normally both families agreed in advance details and necessary expenses associate with the wedding. Often bride’s family is to give dowry, this could be a small to large cash amount or gifting of few basic household items and personal clothing to very lavish arrangement such as to provide a full furnished condo and expensive wardrobe for the couple. Often bride parents spent their entire life savings and very often community and relatives provide necessary financial help, generally from their zakat dues for those deserving.

More recently in the late 1970s and early 80s the Memon community in Karachi, Pakistan under the influence of the Tableeqh Jamat has tried with reasonable success to combat the culture of excessive dowry with weddings, by keeping them in strict accordance to the sunnah. Resulting in simple and segregated weddings, where families are discouraged from participating in the dowry culture, playing music and the usual glamour surrounding weddings in Pakistan.

social leaders and best worker around the world

In the world memon community did a lot in social services but no recognise from any WORLD standard institution like UN ,UNESCO no help from any goverment in the world we proud our leader and worker to deliver best for our generation

  • Sattar edhi and bilqis hajiyani
  • Sir Adamjee Haji Dawood, Adamjee business empire, Provided assistance in creating Pakistan
  • Sattar Masota councillor and ground level worker
  • Sattar teli visionary person in memon community
  • Sir Iqbal sacrani award for social services from Queen family
  • Saleem Abdullah Brigadior from PAK Army serving in Karachi
  • Aqeel Karim dhehdi prominet business man tycoon of community
  • Altaf Adam, ESQ., Notable Attorney, Houston, U.S.A.
  • M.A.Rangoonwala Prsident international chamber leader of MEMON
  • Haji Razzak ARY chairman ARY group and WMO
  • Sattar DADA from Botswana (WMO)
  • Zubair Sattar motiwlia President KCCI
  • Rahim JANOO chairman RECP
  • Mohsin Dada, Chairman ISDLAF+, U.S.A.
  • Majed Aziz Stylish prsident of KCCI
  • Amin Chamadia prominnet social worker
  • Ahmed Chinnoy award winner of Govt Pakistan
  • A.Rashid Ahmed Godil prominet social worker of community co ordinator and ex-Nazim Of gulshan
  • Dr.Amin surwa award winner of govt
  • Aboo tayoob from south africa
  • Majid vakil award winner from govt in africa
  • Faruq sodagar darvesh prominet business man from INDIA
  • Hussain Kasim Dada, Great Businessman and Philanthropist, India and Pakistan

Social contribution from the Memon community

The Memon community can be proud of the social work it has done. Many countries across the globe have seen this through the many Memon humanitarian ground workers. Examples such as the Calcutta, Kashmir, Turkey and Quetta earthquakes. Gujrat, Karachi and Bosnia are just a few recognised achievements of Memon humanitarian work.

Memons help people in need purely on a humanitarian ground upholding the moto social work will better our society. A few examples of they're work;

  • Larkana college of commerce established by Late Abdul Fatah Memon (1920-2002), former MLA Sindh Assaebly (1952), Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and Somalia (1963) in early fifties.
  • The Jama Masjid of Durban built by the Memons, is the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Abdullah Haroon established Hajiyani Hanifabai Girls School in Karachi in 1914, which was the first girl's school in Sindh for Muslim girls.[10]
  • Hajiyani Khadija, although an illiterate widow, was the founder of Raunaq-eIslam chain of girls schools, colleges and industrial homes under the banner of the Pakistan Memon Women's Educational society.[11]

"Salik Papatia" complied Gujarati Reader Sahitay Sindhu for the Gujarati students of secondary schools in the early sixties, and got it published at his own expense.[12]

  • Kenya Mombasa, where the Memon community after emigrating just 50 years ago, built 200 mosques and madrasas (religious schools).

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Origin of Memons three versions[1] Cite error: The named reference "origin" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ Estimate of Memon Population by Mr. Ali Mohammad Tabba[2]
  3. ^ Bombay Gazzatter Story - Extracts from “The Memons” By Mahir Bose[3]
  4. ^ a b 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[4]
  5. ^ 'Abraazul Hq' by Sayed Ameeruddin Nuzat, under the guidance of one Peer Buzrug Alli, published in Bombay in 1873
  6. ^ Memoni Language Project[5]
  7. ^ http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0004-4687(197403)14%3A3%3C231%3ATUBFTM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R
  8. ^ The Upper Bourgeoisie from the Muslim Commercial Community of Memons in Pakistan, 1947 to 1971, Sergey Levin, Asian Survey, Vol. 14, No. 3, Soviet Scholars View South Asia (Mar., 1974), pp. 231
  9. ^ Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui.[6]
  10. ^ http://www.memon.com/HTML/History/HistoryVer3.htm
  11. ^ http://www.memon.com/HTML/History/HistoryVer3.htm
  12. ^ http://www.memon.com/HTML/History/HistoryVer3.htm

References

External links

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