Odia Muslims

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Odia Muslims are a community of people hailing from the Indian state of Odisha who follow Islam. They mostly descend from indigenous converts to Islam along with a small proportion that migrated from northern India.

It is uncertain when Islam first arrived in Odisha. It is believed that the first significant Islamic presence dates from the invasion of the Bengal general, Kalapahad. Commanding the army of Sultan Sulaiman Khan Karrani, the Sultan of Bengal, Kalapahad defeated Raja Mukund Deva of Cuttack in 1568 CE.^[1]

Karrani brought with him Muslim soldiers who settled down in Odisha, however their number was very few.^{[citation needed]} Later migration continued under Mughal as well as the Nawab of Bengal's rule. The majority of these were traders or clergy, sent to preside over the courts, both secular and Islamic.^[2] Conversions seemed to have mainly occurred from the 16th century onwards.^[3]

Islam has had a very slow rate of growth in Odisha even during the Muslim rule as there had never been any major Muslim missionary work. The current population of Muslims in Odisha is 911,670 (2011 census), roughly 2.2% of the total population. The city of Bhadrak has the maximum number of Muslims as a percentage of the total population (about 35%).^[4]

Most Odisha Muslims are Sunni while a small minority are Shia, belonging to such groups as the Khoja and Dawoodi Bohra.^[3]

Jamia Islamia Markazul Uloom, a centre of Deobandi Islamic study in Odisha, was founded in 1946 by Muhammad Ismail Katki, the third president of Jamiat Ulema Odisha.^[11] Important Barelvi Madrasa are located at Bhadrak.

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