Shaikh in Pakistan


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest Pakistan census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Introduction / History

The term Shaikh is used here for a sociocultural group that originated with Arab settlers in South Asia which now includes many subgroups, some of which intermarry in Bangladesh with non-Shaikh Bengali Muslims and some of which don't.

Islam arrived in the area now known as Pakistan in 711 AD when a Muslim Arab army conquered the northwestern part of the Indus Valley from Jammu and Kashmir to the Arabian Sea. Technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and sufis flocked from the rest of the Arab and Muslim world to the Islamic Sultanate in South Asia, and settled permanently.

The descendants of these Arabs usually go by the title of Shaikh and are also known in Pakistan as Muslim Khatri. The Shaikhs of Pakistan, however, claim pre-islamic ancestry. They are a sub-group of the Zamindar group or qoum, traditionally associated with farming, which is one of the two groups making up the Pakistani Punjabis (the other group is the Moeens group or quom, who are traditionally artisans). Shaikh is also a term that is usually attributed to the leaders or elders of Arabian social groups. Other variants of this term are Sheik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, Šeih, Šejh, Seyh.

After the advent of Islam in South Asia, some high caste (Brahmins, Muslim Rajputs and Khatris) converted to Islam in the Punjab region and adopted this title. They are known as Punjabi Shaikh (Punjabi). The majority of the Punjabi Shaikhs are urbanized and detached from their traditional agricultural ancestry. However, a few families also cultivate their own land in the western districts of Punjab. The main professions of the urban Punjabi Shaikhs are business and public service, and are stereotyped for their reputation for business acumen. The Khawaja Shaikh, with their sub-division the Chiniotis and the Qanungoh Shaikh are two such communities.

The Sikh Shaikhs living in villages at the Indian border adjoining Pakistan were remnants of the Shaihks who chose to stay after the independence of of Pakistan in 1947, embracing Sikhism as their religion. They are famous for their lori and dhool, a traditional Indian drum.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Shaikhs are not bound by one particular profession. The Shaikh can be broadly grouped into five communities. Three of these communities are the Siddiks, Farukis and Abbasi who are often descendents of Arab immigrants. The other two are the Chistis and Kuraishis communities who tend to be mainly from converts to Islam. Consequently, the Shaikhs profess Islam and have both Sunni and Shia traditions among them. In Nepal they speak Nepali and either Urdu, Bhojpuri or Maithili in their communities. They are not vegetarian and their common food is rice, mutton and vegetables. Common surnames are Mondal, Siddiqui, Usmani, Faroqui and Sheikh.


What Are Their Needs?

There has been much ministry activity among the Shaikh in India but few works in Nepal. Pray that this largest group of Nepali Muslims will find the truth of the Prophet Isa! There is a lot of potential for gospel growth within the Shaikh community because of relatively few social divisions.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Shaikh in Pakistan.


References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_Shaikh


Profile Source:   Toni Tagimacruz  

Additional Info
Global Prayer Digest: 2019-05-29
People Name General Shaikh
People Name in Country Shaikh
Pronunciation shayk
Alternate Names Bengali Muslim (in Bangladesh); Faraji; Jhiwar; Shaik; Sheikh; Shekhzade; शैख़
Population this Country 11,782,000
Population all Countries 217,686,000
Total Countries 9
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 236
People ID 18084
ROP3 Code 113585
Country Pakistan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 7  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 7
Largest States
Sindh
7,193,000
Punjab
5,370,000
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
270,000
Azad Kashmir
221,000
Islamabad
89,000
Balochistan
87,000
Gilgit-Baltistan
6,500
Country Pakistan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 7  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 7
  Sindh 7,193,000
  Punjab 5,370,000
  Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 270,000
  Azad Kashmir 221,000
  Islamabad 89,000
  Balochistan 87,000
  Gilgit-Baltistan 6,500
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest Pakistan census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Sindhi (4,212,000 speakers)
Language Code snd   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 24
Secondary Languages
(only 15 largest shown)
Punjabi, Western
2,825,000
Saraiki
2,345,000
Urdu
2,293,000
Marwari
427,000
Pahari-Potwari
202,000
Dhatki
173,000
Hindko, Northern
168,000
Hindko, Southern
117,000
Bagri
52,000
Pashto, Northern
24,000
Pashto, Central
22,000
Pashto, Southern
18,000
Kacchi
9,700
Kashmiri
7,500
Balochi, Southern
5,000
Primary Language Sindhi (4,212,000 speakers)
Language Code snd   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 24
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown)
  Punjabi, Western 2,825,000
  Saraiki 2,345,000
  Urdu 2,293,000
  Marwari 427,000
  Pahari-Potwari 202,000
  Dhatki 173,000
  Hindko, Northern 168,000
  Hindko, Southern 117,000
  Bagri 52,000
  Pashto, Northern 24,000
  Pashto, Central 22,000
  Pashto, Southern 18,000
  Kacchi 9,700
  Kashmiri 7,500
  Balochi, Southern 5,000
People Groups Speaking Sindhi
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Mikhail Nilov - Pexels 
Map Source People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Toni Tagimacruz  
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Read more