Mumbai's Khoja Community Conducts Census To Assess Economic And Educational Status For Welfare Programmes

One of the prominent business communities in Mumbai, the Khojas, is conducting a census. While one aim of the enumeration is to find out the community’s numbers in the city, another is to obtain data on the economic and education status of the group and to provide health insurance and educational assistance to members.

The enumeration started in October and families have been asked to answer an online questionnaire that covers their economic and educational status. Among other things, the census will collect information on the number of rooms in houses owned by the community, which is formally called the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri sect. This will help the Jamaat estimate the number of families that may need larger homes or help in educating their children. For instance, the census will find out how many families own their homes and how many live in ‘pagdi system’ (a kind of rental arrangement) homes.

A close-knit community

“We believe in planning. Some families live in small homes and a census will reveal the number of people who share space in a home,” said Ali Akbar Shroff, president of the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat.

The close-knit community has its own administrative body – the Jamaat or representative organisation that holds regular elections to elect its leaders. The Jamaat was established in 1896-1897 and registered in 1901. The group started elections the same year. “We started voting in 1901, so we can say that our democracy is older than the country,” said Shroff.

Who are the Khojas?

The Khojas trace their origin to conversion of Hindus in Sindh, Gujarat and Punjab to Islam from the 11th century onwards. The group had its beginnings in a faith called Satpanth, which was a syncretic mix of Sufism and Hinduism. Under the influence of a succession of religious leaders called Pirs and Dais, they evolved into the present community.

The term Khoja is derived from the Persian word Khwajeh, which indicates a noble origin. They consider themselves as descendants of the Lohana caste, with many among the Hindu counterparts of the group bearing the title ‘Thakkar’. The word ‘Khwajeh’ corresponds to ‘Thakkar’. A series of disputes, splits and court cases later, the community emerged as the ‘Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri in the late 19th century. One of the more famous Khojas is Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

India is home to about 30,000 Khojas

The Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri are estimated to number around 125,000 worldwide, of which 30,000 live in India. The population in Mumbai is estimated to be between 18,000 and 20,000. Members of the sect reached Mumbai in the late 19th century. The community’s first mosque in Mumbai was built in 1901. There are around 4,500 members in the Mumbai Jamaat, but this does not include women, children and many young men. Many families have recently migrated to the United States, United Kingdom and Africa. Their spiritual leader in currently based in Iraq.

The preparation for the census required a lot of technical support. “The data collected from the census is sensitive, so we have added security levels to the enumeration system. We are an educated community and we have people in the information technology industry,” said Shroff.

How will the data be used?

- Count their actual numbers in the city

- Create a universal health insurance scheme for every Khoja

- Count the average number of people living in a home

- The number of families that need bigger homes

- Number of children who will need help for higher studies

Heritage Wall

Recently the community inaugurated the ‘The Khoja Heritage Wall’ at their Arambaug Cemetery in Mazgaon. The wall contains information about the community’s origins, their pirs, beliefs and the disputes that created the community. Similar walls have been created in places with a Khoja diaspora, like New York, London and East Africa.