Khwajah is not a clan/tribe but a title. Categorised as OSC (Other Social Castes) in government records, Watals evidence the Valleys entrenched caste system. There are even Facebook pages which make claims that one caste is the best or aim to get together all members of a particular caste. Citing the example of Chaudhry Shehzad, who served as a minister in the incumbent government of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) headed by three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif until last month, Mir said he left the party and within two hours got the PTI ticket. Khawajas were considered rich and were mostly traders. That makes sense considering my family history, my ancestors were rice sellers in kashmir while my grand fathers and their fathers were businessmen in Punjab. This last name is the 8,640th most numerous surname globally, held by around 1 in 110,746 people. Discovering the Caste System in Azad Kashmir as a British Kashmiri - Dadyal It may not display this or other websites correctly. People would go to mosques to settle their issues so they became power centres and those who had control over the mosques acquired political authority which hasnt changed till this day. Remembers the user's selected language version of a website. "He (candidate) is not only a longtime friend but also hails from my caste. The essential premise borrowed here to understand caste in Kashmir is that of social exclusion, which the low-caste groups face. Masalli are drummers and Sanyaray are jewellers. We are seeing more and more families getting their sons and daughters married out of caste. RT @DisinfoLab: An analysis of HfHR's social media shows that it has been seemingly active on all fault-lines including Caste, Kashmir, Islamophobia, and even USCIRF to target India. In Kashmir, Caste Is Very Much Alive. The Condition Of The - TheQuint Lockdowns and curfews were widely held as the greatest hurdles to economic betterment and a better future for children. I began to pose questions and I then grasped that a caste system was undeniably in place. This is a real shame because you wouldnt expect this from people who are living in a multicultural society such as the United Kingdom, where credit is given, in most cases, based on merit. Dumb question, i know but asking for a friend. If, however, Sheikh is used as a surname, this indicates belonging to the sweeper community.. We were forced out from rural outskirts of Srinagar and settled in Sialkot. people from the Chaudhary caste are also known as Jatt. (67,554) Hey everybody, I got some questions about my heritage. Why do my people identify with it? I or my family upbringing never teaches anything about clans or tribes , so I actually had no clue which clan belongs to where but interesting share.. Hey everybody, I got some questions about my heritage. Election Campaign leads to Public Brawl in Alum Ro Islamic Tenets Concerning Business Transactions. I don't care which political party he joins or leaves," said Awan, while pasting a poster of his favorite candidate on the backside of his auto rickshaw. Khawaja (Arabic: , Hindi: , Marathi: ) has its highest incidence in Pakistan. "My vote is simply for a friend and a person from my biradari (community). Marriages are now considered as value addition processes in the endless pursuit of self-actualization. MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Defence.pk is a one stop resource for Pakistan defence, strategic affairs, security issues, world defence and military affairs. I personally dont see any real benefit in the caste system. Irony is that we want Islam without sacrifice and forget Quran where sacrifice is of almost importance Hey everybody, I got some questions about my heritage. The best way to do it is to aware people, especially elder generation, about the downsides of caste discrimination. After the process of proselytization castes got mixed and there was the emergence of new castes which were both indigenous and foreign. Tall and Graceful - Father of current DG ISPR happens to be on UN terror list. Kashmiri Shaikh are supposed to be brahmin converts. Very similar to my family's story. For Caste Must Be In Good Humour: The Story Of A Dalit Comedian Bangladesh: The next Singapore or the next Sri Lanka. This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics. The union territory of Jammu & Kashmir is uniquely placed in India as it is home to diverse communities of Dalits, Tribals and Pasmanda Caste Muslims from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh & Christian communities, who have so far been facing caste and racial discrimination in different parts of Jammu & Kashmir, separately without putting together a united . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The author is unaware of the Kashmiri psychology & Kashmiri intelligenc. So Is the US. Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website.Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has recently made forceful speeches about removing the 50 per cent cap on reservation, and demanded that the Centre release the data of a caste census that he said the . These are ancient Kashmiri tribes and the origins are from the valley. Bruh are you from Mozang? Kashmir is a controversial subject The movie delves into the history of Kashmir, and the restive region along India's border with Pakistan has long been a sensitive subject. Under Hindu rule, Brahmins were the ones who possessed knowledge but after Kashmir turned to Islam, Syeds took on that role, who now have the upper hand. Families are afraid to break away from the culture they have followed for many years. Sheikhs community of sweepers are a sub-group of the Watals and not all Watals are Sheikhs. Below them are occupational castes which include surnames like Wani, Bhat, Lone, and Khandey. And most others are just your average rural kashmiri. Kashmir Files: Vivek Agnihotri's film exposes India's new fault lines [citation needed]. The initial aspiration in Classical Persian (xwja) is also found in Khwarezmian (xwjyk /xwjk/, venerated man) and Chinese (hshng, Buddhist monk). I discovered the names of some of the castes such as Chaudhary, Raja, Khawaja, Ansari, Masalli, Gujjar, Sanyaray, Malik, etc. Butt is a clan name much like Lone, Mir, Dar, Wain, Magray. may also be a first name. I recall that my Grandfather often referred to one of my Uncles as Chaudhary with great pride in his voice, as if it was a title of great significance and deserved admiration. Surely, people change their jobs and the same profession is rarely passed down from one generation to another. The Ottoman Turkish pronunciation of the Persian gave rise to hodja and its equivalents such as hoca in modern Turkish, hoxha in Albanian, xoca (khoja) in Azerbaijani,[5][6] hoda in Bosnian, (chtzas) in Greek, hogea in Romanian, and in Serbian. Verily, the honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is the most righteous of you (the most deeply conscious of Him). Youth need to take the initiative of encouraging inter-caste marriages. Khurshid Ahmed Sanai (KAS), Additional Secretary of the Social Welfare Department. It is also used by Kashmiri Muslims[1][2] and the Mizrahi Jewsparticularly Persian Jews and Baghdadi Jews. - rayyan Submit the Meaning of This Surname for a Chance To Win a $60 Genealogy DNA Test DNA test information Khawaja Demographics Sheikh is an interesting caste as if this title is used as a prefix it indicates the person has descended from Brahmin landlords like the National Conference party leader Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Pre-election tussle dominates Labor Day rallies in Bangladesh. According to Gulzar Usmani, another Muzaffarabad-based political analyst, since political parties have fielded candidates from the same community against each other, the votes of dominant biradari will split. Khawaja or khwaja is an honorific title used across the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, particularly towards Sufi teachers. Khawaja You are using an out of date browser. I often heard people making comments such as apni baradri ne log meaning people of our own caste. This cookie is used to distinguish between humans and bots. I personally thank you for surfacing such issued. JavaScript is disabled. [8], Ultimately derived from a Middle Indo-Aryan reflex of Sanskrit (updhyya, teacher; preceptor; spiritual adviser), via Central Asian intermediaries.Various Middle Indo-Aryan reflexes are attested from all stages, including Maharashtri Prakrit (uvajjha), but the Central Asian loaning source most closely resembles an unattested * (*vjjha) matching Sindhi (vjho, Hindu schoolteacher). Butt is similar to Bhat. Watal and Sheikh are in fact abusive slurs in the Valley. Hope society will one day open its eyes and acknowledge how discriminatory it is and work to correct it. Indian Pilots Supporting Anti-Turkey Patch in Greece. This is one of the reasons why groups from outside Punjab have generally settled down and merged within local structures very quickly. 2023 The Kashmir Monitor - All rights reserved. Is Khawaja A Good Caste In Islamic Values + Life - Reddit The caste hierarchy in Kashmiri Muslim society - An open secret Then we have people who stick to their own castes i.e. Butt is the mutilated form of Bhat that were Brahmin Hindus they retained their caste name even after conversion while others adobted other titles like Sheikh(me). Other spellings include khaaja (Bengali) and koja (Javanese). These are ancient Kashmiri tribes and the origins are from the valley. I don't know much about kashmiri tribes. Written by Sameer Hussain Many years ago, during a school holiday visit to Dadyal (Azad Kashmir), I became aware of the importance given to A new business, Royal Cars PK, has opened in Dadyal. In the outgoing state assembly, over a dozen lawmakers are Gujjar, the largest caste in AJK. I request you to have another look on ur comments How's that relevant? PTI Leadership Has No Clue What Its Doing, Pakistan urges US to restore military financing, sales, Imran is a Fitna, a Terrorist, and the Biggest Impediment In the way of development: Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan : A Greater Punjab Project ? Defence.pk is a one stop resource for Pakistan defence, strategic affairs, security issues, world defence and military affairs. [citation needed] I fail to see how its application has or can deliver any vale to society. From what I've read on internet, kashmiri khawajas are supposed to be traders. There is often confusion around the exact cost of renewing a NICOP ID card so we thought we would clarify this matter. In The United States those holding the Khawaja last name are 5.5% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 52.27% registered with the party. But we are Gujjar. During Ancient Kashmir, the inhabitants were mostly Hindus followed by Buddhist and Jains but with the influx of Muslim divines from the neighbouring countries, large number of Hindus got converted to Islam except the Brahmans. Tbh its a good and informative post, i dont see anyone discussing supperiority of one over the other. Some people seem to hold the belief that caste to some extent does affect how people behave and it plays a significant role in what they do in life. Location. Unsurprisingly, the Watals a historically marginalised social group of Kashmir have found little space in this discourse. Cradle of Castes in Kashmir (From Medieval Period to Present Day) The irony is caste discrimination has become a trend in a Muslim-majority region. Bangladesh: The next Singapore or the next Sri Lanka. Some will say these people are backwards and such practices are only common amongst illiterate people. Hey. Well . Dr Fayyaz says: Two successive lockdowns lasting more than a year and the resultant economic havoc have plunged Kashmiris into unprecedented hopelessness and despair. Its Muslim-majority. A poor city tucked beneath a rich city. I discovered the names of some of the castes such as Chaudhary, Raja, Khawaja, Ansari, Masalli, Gujjar, Sanyaray, Malik, etc. Percentage of all salaries earned by bearers: Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic, Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. Khawaja - Wikipedia Ukraine Is Running Out of Ammo. World, Asia - Pacific Caste, ethnic loyalties decide poll favorites in Pakistan-administered Kashmir Unlike Kashmir Valley across LoC, diverse ethnic nature of Pakistan-administered Kashmir plays . Uttar Pradesh municipal election 2023: The Uttar Pradesh Urban Local Body (ULB) elections will be held in two phases on May 4 and 11. Because the truth is worth it.). Why The Marginalised Castes of Jammu and Kashmir Must Come - Kractivism In his book Directory of Caste in Kashmir, Kashmiri sociologist Bashir Ahmed Dabla classified Kashmiri castes into three different groups. I also have some question about ancestry tests? [4] History [ edit] Pre-independence [ edit] Ironically, the EWS category may do more harm than help. They proudly display their caste on their car or their motorcycle. The author is advised to take a thorough survey at the district, or more precisely at tehsil level in the Kashmir valley to take himself out from this illusion of the so-called casteism in presentday Kashmir. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmiris_of_Punjab, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baloch_of_Punjab, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathans_of_Punjab, PMLN's Nasir Butt wins (another) 90,000 and an estimated 85000 in legal costs defamation case against TV channel, TTP still using Afghan soil for attacks in Pakistan: Khawaja Asif, Nasir Butt wins second 100000 defamation case against HUM News as UK judge accepts evidence of Nawaz Sharif victimisation, Pakistans Inam Butt optimistic to win gold at Commonwealth Games, Tasnim Haider gives no evidence to fact-finding team in Arshad Sharif case, Russia-Ukraine War - News and Developments PART 2, China may not need Western technology very much longer, BRICS Emerges as the World's Largest GDP Bloc, Overtaking G7, Propelled by China's Rapid Expansion, Finland to allow construction of US military bases on its territory, S Korea Exports Sink For Seventh Month, China Sales Slump, Two Punjabis: Maj Adil Raja & Haider Mehdi gives "Life Hell" to Pak Army, ISI, MI & PDM | Tough Time, Expose & Call for Reforms in Establishment, Pakistan - Turkey (PAC-TAI) Collaboration for NGFA-TFX 5th Gen Aircraft l Updates, News & Discussion, The Balance of Air power in Sub-continent considering latest inductions of Platforms / capabilities by PAF, Tall and Graceful - Life of a GC (Gentleman Cadet). Very similar to my family's story. Restoring Mental Health: Going beyond conventions. Let them drop bombs and finish off Kashmir altogether. Some do Fatiha, grave worship and other biidat acts. Therefore, they don't hesitate to join the party, which has brighter chances of coming into power," said Sajjad Mir, a Muzaffarabad-based political analyst. This metaphoric scenario is often practiced other way round in the valley of Kashmir. Spiritually, marriages are believed to be settled in heavens and solemnized on earth. To complicate things further, I learnt that some castes are given more than just one name e.g. steamship authority cancellation policy "He is easily accessible to us because he also knows that he can't win without the support of Awans (his caste)," he added, smiling. It made me think how we have so many castes and members of each one in a strange way are made to feel a part of their own clan, and that caste is regarded as an important part of an individuals identity. Khawaja is most commonly occurring in Pakistan, where it is borne by 30,049 people, or 1 in 5,945. Kashmiris in Punjab - Wikipedia You are using an out of date browser. In most of the cases, caste is given priority over everything else while looking for a match. How, with call for caste census, Congress has upped the ante There seems to be a lot of pride and people want to show their caste to others. Saturday, 11 June 2022 . Most saw themselves as victims of an unfortunate situation. In the early summer of 2019, I visited Srinagars densely populated Sheikh mohallas or colonies, that is, ghettoes where Watals or hereditary manual scavengers and sweepers live. Mirpur Stadium selected by PCB as potential Intern Night Cricket Tournament in Dadyal May 2012. SardarJi Singh on Twitter: "RT @DisinfoLab: An analysis of HfHR's He, however, acknowledged, the caste system is a powerful factor to decide loyalties and voters' preferences in AJK politics. That's the only difference. Though I knew some of the basics, it didnt really make much sense to me. 25-year-old Ayyaz Ahmed Sheikh, son of a permanent safaikaramchari, tells me: Shams Irfan, Kashmir-based independent journalist, echoes a similar sentiment, Kashmir is being ruled by the Centre. and our If lineage of one family doesnt suit another, all other important aspects, including religious piety, go unnoticed. People are stereotyped, judged, ignored, disrespected, welcomed, loved, married, and all these actions are somewhat based on caste. Like the Dalits of mainland India, Watals are an endogamous social group in Kashmir associated with polluting jobs such as skinning animals, scavenging, and sweeping. There is no castisism in Kashmir but with an exception that is marriagr, We often ignore Islam practically where we think we are losing superiority However, notwithstanding frustration and disappointment, there isnt a total disconnect with the movement. Even on the increasingly popular social-networking site Facebook, individuals often remove their surnames and add their caste instead. It is based at Sandal Cross on the Main Rawalpindi road. It may be rendered as a variant:. Kashmiri Khwaja - Wikipedia However, there are still certain groups of people that are stuck in the 1970s it seems, and they sometimes openly, at other times - secretly dislike people of other castes. Americas industrial base is struggling with supply chains and a shortage of workers, The future of air warfare: Bayraktar KIZILELMA, (SUPERPOWER) Aerial footage from the Elephant Walk at Sheppard AFB, Iranian military engine development news and updates, Turkish Air Force - Weapons and Capabilities ( News and Updates ). At Bachi Darwaza one of the Sheikh ghettoes that dot the peripheries of Srinagars Old City I met two daily wage workers, Bilal Ahmed Sheikh and Abdul Majid Ghanai, who narrated their daily struggles, particularly how curfews imposed by the Army and shutdowns called by separatists deprived them of opportunities to seek work. Since the appearance of sheikh Abdullah (1931) in the political scenario of kashmir, education & social status has played a major role in the match making processes among Kashmiri Muslims. Defence.pk is a one stop resource for Pakistan defence, strategic affairs, security issues, world defence and military affairs. Behold, we have created you all froma single pair of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another (not that you may despise each other). It seems that such a system doesnt reward people based on merit, instead the positions of honour are granted to the prestigious castes even if there are more deserving candidates from elsewhere in the imposed hierarchy. This mence can be eradicated either by following pure Islam or by opting modern liberal thoughts Indian Pilots Supporting Anti-Turkey Patch in Greece. Further information may be obtained by. Khawaja is also the 14,298th most commonly held forename on earth It is held by 67,554 people. Hence, this leaves no room for any question of prohibition on inter-caste marriages. Released in Indian theaters in March, The Kashmir Files is a 170-minute Bollywood drama about the tragedy of Kashmiri Pandits, or Brahminsthe priestly highest caste of the Hindu religion . It also occurs in Egypt, where 19 percent are found and Saudi Arabia, where 10 percent are found. What propels him to stick his loyalties to a particular candidate is that he belongs to his Khawaja baradari or community. I remember on other websites that Kashmiris Butts are actually brahmin or pandit converts, so would you say butts and khawajas belong to two different castes? There are participants and non-participants. It is also used by Kashmiri Muslims [1] [2] and the Mizrahi Jews particularly Persian Jews and Baghdadi Jews. He was born in 536 A.H./1141 CE, in Sajistan, a famous city in Khorasan province (other accounts say Isfahan) in Persia. they dont socialise with people from other castes, because they feel that they are superior and better than others. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity -, Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Many ethnic Muslim Kashmiris from the Kashmir Valley had migrated to the Punjab region during Sikh and Dogra rule. Asking cuz many of you here are from South Asia, + UK Paki community. My grandmother is from amritsar by caste she is a khwaja wani. Have any Kashmiri-Punjabis gotten tested, what were their results? So Khwaja and Sheikh are titles, which don't have any caste/ethnic link in their places of origin in Middle east. This is a report and analysis, and the views expressed are the authors own and that of the interviewees in the story. what do you want to prove with this silly post Punjabis are a very loose group identified more by language than ancestry or blood. For other possible spellings of this surname click here. The. Tall and Graceful - Father of current DG ISPR happens to be on UN terror list. Cookie Notice , China-Pakistan: Beijing to "Further Deepen and Expand" Ties, Support Pak "Financial Stability", China's Anti-Ship firepower and mass firing schemes, Ability to mass fires against warships is a product of a truly historic evolution. [7], The name is also used in Egypt and Sudan to indicate a person with a foreign nationality or foreign heritage. But if you are born as a Massalli and then become a Jeweller, are you still a Massalli? Khawaja Moinuddin Chishty, also known as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz was a Sunni Muslim and is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of South Asia. PTI Leadership Has No Clue What Its Doing, Pakistan urges US to restore military financing, sales, Imran is a Fitna, a Terrorist, and the Biggest Impediment In the way of development: Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan : A Greater Punjab Project ? To complicate things further, I learnt that some castes are given more than just one name e.g. Adnan Bhat wrote in The Wire: Sheikh is an interesting caste here. Several websites ac Mirpur: High Court Azad Kashmir, Pakistan has recovered a British minor child in Mirpur from wrongful retention of father and handed over Tesco PLC, the British transnational grocery and general merchandise retailer, has entered the Pakistani market with a bang after joinin Discovering the Caste System in Azad Kashmir as a British Kashmiri, Chicken Cottage Fast Food Chain Opens in Dadyal, British National Child recovered from Mirpur, British Retailer Tesco Enters Pakistani Market, Qasar-e-Younas Marriage Hall in Mohra Kanyal. Like in the rest of India, the politics of surname plays out in intriguing ways in the Valley. New thoughts, new beliefs, new rituals all experiments and gradually evolved into what is commonly found today in Kashmirs contemporary society. Sir Khawaja Surname Meaning User-submitted Reference Persian/Arabic word meaning 'lord' or 'master', used as a family name in the Middle East and a surname in South Asia, is also linked ethnically to Kashmir and Bengal. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Khwaja is a persian title of honor adopted by some Brahmin converts like Sheikh, which is an Arabic title for scholar. Political parties have distributed mandates among representatives of these castes depending on the concentration of their populations in the particular constituencies. I'm just curious about my heritage, even Iqbal was proud of his heritage. I think Kashmiri khawajas are supposed to be traders? So isnt our duty as educated youth to tackle this menace of caste discrimination. Fair enough, caste can be used to categorise people into say for example different professions e.g. "I will vote him wherever he goes. What's the backgrounds of Khawaja's in Kashmir? However, this kind of mentality is common in Azad Kashmir and it seems like this is the case amongst even educated and religious families. Iam from azad kAshmir As I told you that khawaja and Butt's are different clans ( talking about present situation ) These two are dominant clans here showing no similarities .. 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