Introduction / History

The Kasgar live in Uttar Pradesh and follow Islam. They speak Urdu and Hindi.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Kasgar make a living from pot making and some work as laborers. They are landless. They prefer marriages between cousins.

They allow divorce. Divorcees and the bereaved can marry again. They marry as adults and have marriage rituals. They bury their dead.

They use modern medicines. The children are given Islamic religious teaching. The Kasgar have specialists from other Muslim communities for Islamic teachings.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Kasgar people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.

The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.

Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.

What Are Their Needs?

The Kasgar Kumhar people need to experience the eternal blessings of Jesus Christ for abundant life, John 10:10.

Prayer Points

Pray that God gives them dreams and visions leading them to Jesus Christ.

Pray that gospel materials and the internet lead them to salvation.

Pray for the Lord to thrust our loving workers to this community.

Pray for spiritual discernment among the Kasgar Kumhar.

Scripture Prayers for the Kumhar Kasgar in India.

References

Singh, K. S., ed. "India's Communities A-Z", Oxford University Press, USA 1999