Skip to content Skip to navigation

Indigenous Muslims discuss Congress apathy

The perplexity involving the crisis associated with the privileges of the different communities which form the indigenous Muslim populace of Assam was broadly discussed Thursday at Natya Mandir, Sivsagar. This was an effort to gather consensus regarding uplift, recognition and representation of the indigenous Muslims spread across upper Assam, mid Assam and lower Assam in politics, education, socio-economic policy making and community centric development programs.


The conference which attracted some 300 people from different parts of upper Assam had Senior Advocate Guwahati High Court and invited speaker Nekibur Zaman saying that it was during his association with the Assam Agitation that he realized the appalling fate of the communities which contribute to the indigenous Muslim bulk of Assam. It has become most necessary to seriously assemble, discuss indigenous concerns and strategize despite political affinity regional or otherwise else we shall die like cats and dogs he said. He condemned the Tarun Gogoi led Government’s inability of offering candidature to a single indigenous Muslim from among 30 lac and by now more of the population share of indigenous Muslims of the state for the forthcoming Assembly Elections.


Under the Ahom definition of Assamese and the Constitutional description of Religious Minority the indigenous Muslims have nevertheless been forced into a circle of confusion regarding their identity in their pursuit for socio-economic development. To claim satisfactory share of Government Funds for socio-economic development the All Assam Goria-Moria-Desi Jatiya Parishad (AAGMDJP) have long launched a crusade to press for the Constitutional Recognition and Safeguard of the Goria, Moria, Desi, Julha and other communities which predate the Constitutional definition of Minority or Religious Minority as indigenous.


Sohiruddin Ali Ahmed President AAGMDJP ranted that indigenous Muslim figures like Bagh Hazarika, Bahadur Gaonburha, Syed Abdul Malik and many from the time of Ahom-Assam to independent India are deprived of mentionable credence for shaping the socio-political sphere of Assam. He added that AAGMDJP was first to demand separate community centric Development Parishads to help address issues. We will gather capacity to press and voice our demands at Dispur to expidite steps for Constitutional Recognition and Safeguard of the various indigenous Muslim communities of Assam and also for the formation of Development Parishads. If the Kalitas of Assam are privileged with a Kalita Development Parishad then why not the indigenous Muslims he queried. Assam is a land of indigenous tribes and communities who came to accept different belief systems with time. Divisive policies of the East India Company divided the Indian populace into two watertight compartments called ‘Hindus’ and ‘Muslims’ degrading the various strong indigenous identities and their associated development concerns. We are victim to repeated scapegoatism of poll politics he exclaimed.


Pro-Congressman and President of Upper Assam Muslim Welfare Parishad, M I Bora echoed that elections will come and elections will go while Political Parties will retain capacity with votes from immigrant Muslims. Indigenous peoples are certainly approaching an age of modern day obscurity he concluded.


Meantime to attract indigenous Muslim votes the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party in its Election Manifestos for the first time ever have aimed to address the concerns of the different indigenous Muslim communities through the formation of Development Parishads. The All India United Democratic Front on the other hand has offered candidature to a number of indigenous Muslim candidates in an effort to outdo the Congress loyalty.




Author info

Syed Miraz Ahmed's picture

Writes, edits and researches. In 2013 he was conferred the Rotary International District 3240 Young Achiever Award for his work in the area of environment and digital journalism. In 2006 he was awarded first in the category of Wildlife Photography by the Department of Environment & Forests and Tourism, Government of Assam.

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Internally Displaced People (IDPs): Neglected victims of conflict

13 Feb 2012 - 5:06am | Monali Kakoty
Increase in the number of the internally displaced persons or IDPs (conflict induced) is primarily because of changing nature of warfare over the years. Besides sharp rise in internal conflicts...

Science Festival held at Nagarbera

5 Nov 2010 - 2:17pm | Mowsam Hazarika
A two days long Science Festival and Science Exhibition, organised by the Nagarbera Branch of Assam Science Society and Arjyabhatta Bigyan Kendra on November 3-4 held at Narabera Higher Secondary...

KMSS ultimatum on pattas

18 Feb 2014 - 10:17pm | AT News
KMSS threatens to hit the streets against if the government fails to issue land pattas to the landless farmers by February 25.A huge gathering of the KMSS workers made it plain that they would not...

Media Workshop on Sattriya Dances

16 Jul 2008 - 9:53pm | editor
A media workshop on 'How to Appreciate (and Report about) Sattriya Dances' has been organized at Guwahati Press Club on July 21 (Monday). The workshop, which is open for working journalists, will...

Other Contents by Author

The U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata in collaboration with social enterprise Contact Base, is launching a youth entrepreneurship initiative – Y4BIZ (Youth for Business) in four cities Guwahati, Patna, Ranchi and Kolkata. The program in Guwahati took place in association with the local organization, Startup Assam. The Y4BIZ program aims to support a promising group of 50 young entrepreneurs, and transform their business ideas from the initial stage to a sustainable business model. The 50 entrepreneurs will be selected by a rigorous screening process after the launch events in all four cities. This will be followed by an online capacity building and mentoring program run by the IC2...
The People’s Democratic Council of Karbi-longri (PDCK) Thursday rubbished what it term ed as a “strange” news report aired by News 18 on November 7, 2017 with graphics of photographs and videos on the basis of a police claim. “The news report emphatically asserted that our Home Secretary, Mir-ang Sir-ang was and is directly involved in cases of poaching rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park. The allegation made by the greedy Assam Police personnel and corrupt forest department officials against PDCK and its Home Secretary for killing rhinos is baseless and fabricated. It is an insinuation of the worst kind manufactured out of thin air in order to tarnish the image of this promising...
Investigators from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) returned to India this week to continue the search for remains of U.S. personnel missing since World War II.  Last year, DPAA deployed a team to northeast India for 30 days in search of remains for unaccounted-for U.S. airmen, and this is their fifth mission to India since 2013. There are approximately 400 U.S. airmen missing in India, most of whose remains are believed to be located in the Himalayan Mountains in northeast India.  During World War II, the United States provided supplies to the Chinese Army by flying over the Himalayas, a route known as “The Hump.”  Many of these aircraft went missing and were...
The People's Democratic Council of Karbi-longri (PDCK) an affiliate of the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWSEA) Sunday condemned the atrocities committed by what it terms ‘Indian occupation forces’ upon two arrested persons, namely Rau Engleng and Longsing Teron.  “They used electric shocks and beating as a method of torture to extract information and forced them to confess. These practices are gross violations of Article 3 common to the Geneva Convention,” said the outfit.  Stating statutes, PDCK said that occupation forces should recognize the International Humanitarian Law and the Law of Armed Conflict, which protect persons as a target for...
One Planet Academy, a digital portal was launched ​in Guwahati on Wednesday as a part of WWF-India’s initiative in partnership with Capgemini to create awareness ​in the area of environment and ​ ​ educate students and citizens through an interactive ​ interface​. Leveraging the affinity of today’s learners towards technology, the website focuses on various environmental themes and is a digital hub for schools, teachers and students that brings under its ambit a digital training and resource centre. One Planet Academy is the first of its kind digital hub for environment education for schools, teachers, students and citizens. The OPA is designed to be a one stop destination for engaging not...
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Sunday filed an FIR at Bhangagarh Police Station, Guwahati, seeking immediate arrest and prosecution under the Criminal Procedure Code following remarks made by Jorhat Lok Sabha Constituency MP, Kamakhya Prasad Tassa on Saturday in a meeting held at Sonari in Charaideu District. Tassa described Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as 'garbage' in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. 
The final round of the 10th International Edition of the Wild Wisdom Quiz, organised by WWF-India and Discovery Kids in association with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), was held at WWF-India, New Delhi on October 6, 2017.The event saw participation from 28 city level winners across the country and 2 winners from Nepal.Wild Wisdom Quiz has grown in strength over the last decade and has reached beyond the country, with Nepal running its first edition of the quiz in 2017. In India, the Wild Wisdom Quiz is being run across 817 schools in 14 cities with participation from approximately 50,000 students. Run in the format of a competition, the quiz is a fun way to help children learn...
Organized by Abiogenesis Society with sponsorship from North East Council, Ministry of DoNER, Shillong; Artist Aloud as Digital Promotion Partner, Asian News International (ANI) for international news coverage and Doordarshan Kohima Kendra for live telecast, the festival aims to showcase music made by indigenous social groups of the region.The main event on October 7, will see a very strong line up at IMC Hall, Dimapur from 5:30 pm featuring eight renowned artistes and bands.They are: Summersalt – a folk fusion band from Meghalaya who has been featured in the Bollywood film Rock On 2, Jambili – a folk fusion band from Assam, Imphal Talkies – a six member folk rock band from...
​​A land without ruins is a land without memories – a land without memories is a land without history: so wrote Reverend Abram Joseph Ryan, an American poet, popularly known as the Poet – Priest of the South and also as the Poet-Laureate of the Confederacy. Ruins are not alone physical remains of a building or a structure, but embodiment of memories. The past is deeply entrenched in them. Even in a stage of dilapidation, besides the stories of glory and loss, they also weave narratives of a sense of being part of that past which stand right there to be touched and felt. The historical monuments of the pre-colonial Dimasa state today lie in a state of ruins across vast geographical areas...
The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom [ULFA-Independent] expresses delight in the arrival of the under seventeen Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup soccer matches in homeland Assam. “I, on behalf of my organisation, thank FIFA for bringing International Football to this remote part of the world and a warm welcome to the FIFA officials and players of different nations to Assam,” states Abhizeet Asom, the elusive Chairman of the outfit.He believes that the people of Assam will immensely benefit by the experience, learning about international standards in football by witnessing the ways and manners of the teenage players from different countries and...