Kahar Kamkar Muslim

Most Kahar are Hindu, and the Kamkar Muslims descend from a small portion who embraced Islam during the Mughal period. This path set them apart from relatives who followed another religion, but they kept ties of trade and memory with the common stock.

For centuries, the work of carrying palanquins and water defined the Kahar's place in society. Today, the Kamkar Muslims live in a few states of eastern and northern India and work in a wide variety of occupations.

Their livelihood comes from many sources: farming, small businesses such as restaurants, food stalls and cloth shops, transport, rickshaw driving, carpentry, basketry, boats and fishing. Some have also studied and work as professionals or in politics. Rice, lentils, vegetables, fruit and dairy make up the table, while pork and beef are avoided.

Social life revolves around the family. People marry within their own people, and marriages are usually arranged by the parents. Sons inherit their father’s property. Polygamy is permitted, but the rule is a single marriage. In many places, the community celebrates both Muslim and Hindu festivals, sharing in the joy of their neighbors.

They follow Sunni Islam, and faith is an inseparable part of who they are. Prayer, fasting, dietary customs and religious festivals mark the family calendar and give the community a sense of belonging in a society with a Hindu majority.

In practice, however, the people’s worldview also absorbs beliefs with a Hindu flavor, a legacy of a shared past with Kahar of other traditions. For this reason many celebrate dates from both religious worlds. This mixture does not mean indifference: for them, being Muslim means being part of the family and of the people, and changing faith would mean breaking their own ties.

The heart language of much of the people is Bengali, and in it the complete Bible has existed for a long time, with versions updated recently. There are also audio Scriptures, the film on the life of Jesus and apps, as well as printed materials. The challenge, therefore, is not a lack of the Word, but the fact that it almost never reaches the hands and ears of this small, scattered community, which also speaks Urdu and Hindi in different places.

Among the Kahar Kamkar, belonging to the community and being Muslim go together, and following Jesus tends to be seen as abandoning family and people. Their dispersion in a few small clusters, far from one another, makes it hard for any Christian to know them, and there are almost no workers or faith communities who speak with them in a close way.

Many families need good secondary schools for their children, vocational training that opens the way to better jobs, and access to modern medicine. These are concrete needs of a community that works hard and wishes to give a future to the new generations.

On the spiritual level, the people need to hear and understand the message of Isa, Jesus, who forgives sins and gives new life. They also need someone who comes with respect, shares life and helps whole families discover together who He is.