Lodha (Muslim traditions) in India

People Name:	Lodha (Muslim traditions)
Country:	India
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	4,600
World Population:	4,600
Primary Language:	Urdu
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	0.00 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Complete Bible
Ministry Resources:	Yes
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	South Asia Muslim - other
Affinity Bloc:	South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Lodha is a tribe that was once food gatherers. Though most are Hindu or animistic, there have been some who converted to Islam. This was a slow process. Most of them live in West Bengal, often in the city of Kolkata. They speak either Urdu or Bengali.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Muslim Lodha are often poor. Commonly they are day laborers in Kolkata. In rural areas few have any significant amount of land. They often work as locksmiths.

They marry those who are close kin. In rural areas their community has a caste council which settles conflicts and maintains social control.

What Are Their Beliefs?

These 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 Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, common 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 they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.

What Are Their Needs?

The Muslim Lodha need the opportunity to get training so they can gain high paying jobs. As it stands, they remain in poverty.

Prayer Points

Pray for many from this unreached people group to understand both God’s judgment and his majestic glory.

Pray for loving workers to go to the Muslim Lodha, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their savior.

Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that result in thousands of new disciples who share their faith with others.

Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.