MEO MUSLIM COMMUNITY
1. Context
Communal clashes that broke out in Haryana’s Nuh district, following a religious procession on July 31 this year, have seen the larger Mewat region coming into focus. It is spread across the states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and is also home to the Meo Muslim community.
2. Meos
- The Meo Muslim community is a Muslim community found in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
- They are a distinct community with their own language, culture, and customs. The Meo language is a dialect of Punjabi, and the Meo people are known for their strong martial tradition
- The Meo community is believed to have originated in Central Asia, and they migrated to India in the 12th century.
- They were originally Hindu, but they converted to Islam in the 14th century.
- The Meo people have faced discrimination and persecution throughout their history, and they have often been the target of violence
3. History of Meos
- Historians believe that the Meos were initially not Muslims and were gradually converted to Islam during the 12th to 17th centuries by the Sultans of Delhi up to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb”.
- The Delhi Sultanate began in the early 13th century, with the Khilji dynasty’s rule. It fell to the Mughals in the middle of the 16th century.
- Aurangzeb is considered the last Mughal to have ruled at the height of the dynasty, in the 18th century, though their rule continued beyond that
- But other historians have disagreed, describing a more gradual change. “We use the word ‘conversion’ as a modern concept. There was no such large-scale complete conversion in the time we are talking about, the 14th-15th century,”
- The word ‘Meo’ is used to describe those who might have been the aboriginal population from the hills. They also could have had links to the Meena tribal group
- The Meos were appointed chieftains by the rulers of Delhi. For instance, Raja Nahar Khan, a Meo, was designated as ‘Wali-e-Mewat’ by the Delhi Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq in 1372. Raja Hasan Khan Mewati is another example.
- He was the last chieftain of Mewat and fought in the Battle of Khanwa in 1527, for the side of Rajput king Rana Sangha against Babur, and lost.
4. Religious Practices of Meos
As the Meos follow syncretic religious traditions, they appear to be a distinct community. “The members of the community even celebrate Hindu festivals like Diwali, Holi and Teej along with festivals of Islam. The Sufi movement, led by the great Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, also played a role in the community gravitating towards syncretic traditions under Islam,”
5. Meos as a Criminal tribe
The Meos took part in what is often termed India’s “First War of Independence” against British colonial rule in 1857.
As a result, the entire community was declared a “criminal tribe” under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, as “a punishment” for their active participation
History, says that nearly 10,000 Meos died in the early battles against British colonial rule
But after this categorisation under the Act, members of such groups would be under surveillance by authorities and presumed to be guilty of committing offences almost automatically
Once labelled as a criminal tribe they were denied opportunities to progress further, resulting in them turning to crimes for subsistence
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Previous Year Questions
1. Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India: (UPSC 2019)
1. PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory.
2. A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for determining PVTG status.
3. There are 95 PVTGs officially notified in the country so far.
4. Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.
Which of the statements given above is correct?
A. 1, 2 and 3 B. 2, 3 and 4 C. 1, 2 and 4 D. 1, 3 and 4
Answer: C
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Source: indianexpress
