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Leap of faith - Muslim, and Hindu as well
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Sikander is one among the 10-lakh strong community of Cheetah-KathatMehrat — spread over the four districts of Ajmer, Bhilwara, Pali and Rajsamand in Rajasthan — who are in a unique predicament over their religious identity. Descendants of the Chauhan rulers, the community took to Islam about 700 years ago, and adopted only the three practices of dafan, khatna and zabiha (burial, circumcision and eating halal) from the religion.The rest of their lifestyle — names, marriage rituals, dressing styles — continued to be the same as Hindus.
So even though Shanti and Mithu call themselves Muslim they retain their Hindu names, and at their wedding a decade ago, took the pheras (circling the fire). Shanti still likes to wear the ghaghra-choli, and her son Sikander’s ‘school name’ is Hitesh.
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Those who have been ‘exposed’, like Sikander’s father Mithu, have started offering namaaz and practising Islamic rituals. “We have also started sending Sikander to the madrasa,” says Mithu.
“Today no one in the village takes the pheras;all my younger brothers and sis ters had the nikaah,” his wife pipes in.
- Only, this ‘change’ has brought along its share of problems. The once peaceful existence of the community is now disrupted by sporadic accusations of ‘forcible’ religious conversions and some violence as well.
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