In 2015 PM Modi paid a visit to Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the Religious Head of the Dawoodi Bohra Community.
“I am part of your family. I am not here as a PM or CM.” These were the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who once called himself a “Hindu Nationalist leader”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the new campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah (The Saifee Academy) in Mumbai’s Marol.
Last month PM, Modi had called upon Bharatiya Janata Party workers to reach out to marginalized communities, regardless of whether they vote for the party or not.
However, PM Modi has a long-backed history with the communitywhich is beyond elections. Let’s understand PM Modi’s connection with The Dawoodi Bhora community and how is it different from other Muslims.
𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗶 𝗕𝗼𝗵𝗿𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆:
The Dawoodi Bohra community is a subgroup within Shia Islam that is renowned for its business acumen. It should not be mistaken with the Sunni Bohras, who are also part of the Bohra Muslim community and share many cultural similarities with the Dawoodi Bohras. In India, there are approximately 500,000 Bohras, including those living in various locations around the world. Following the death of the former spiritual leader, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, in January of this year, his son Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has assumed the role, according to Free Press Journal.
The Bohras derive their name from the Gujarati word “vahaurau”, meaning “to trade”. “The Bohras include, in addition to (the) Shia majority, often of the merchant class, a Sunni minority who are usually peasant farmers.
The Mustali sect which originated in Egypt and later moved its religious center to Yemen gained a foothold in India through missionaries of the 11th century. After 1539, by which time the Indian community had grown quite large, the seat of the sect was moved from Yemen to Sidhpur (Patan district of Gujarat), India,” according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. According to a rough estimate, the Bohras account for 10 percent of the total Muslim population in India.
PM Modi’s connection:
Every year since his assuming power PM Modi categorically took efforts to include the Dawoodi Bhora community in his events or at least take out time for their religious head and laud them whenever an opportunity arises.
When Modi launched his prime ministerial campaign in 2013, one of the best-known and most vocal Muslim faces of that campaign was Zafar Sareshwala — a Bohra Muslim businessman.
In 2014 among the thousands who attended Modi’s address at the Olympic Park Arena in Sydney, were 100 Bohras who had been specially invited by the Indian High Commission in Australia.
In 2015 PM Modi paid a visit to Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the Religious Head of the Dawoodi Bohra Community.
In 2016, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, the Religious Head of the Dawoodi Bohra Community, called on Prime Minister, Modi, in the national capital. The Prime Minister appreciated the social reform efforts of the Dawoodi Bohra community and said the Union Government fully supported these initiatives.
IN 2017 several women belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help make female genital mutilation illegal. Although the religious practice still continues.
In 2018 Praising the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community for its contribution to the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the community had always worked for peace and had also once worked with Mahatma Gandhi.
In 2019 when he met a delegation of the community in Hoston said: “The Dawoodi Bohra community has distinguished itself across the world. In Houston, I had the opportunity to spend time with them and speak about a wide range of issues.”
The Dawoodi Bohra community has distinguished itself across the world. In Houston, I had the opportunity to spend time with them and speak about a wide range of issues. pic.twitter.com/zxHXa9Ka9Z
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2019
Even during the unprecedented pandemic PM Modi followed the yearly ritual.
Had a wonderful interaction with Shahzada Husain Burhanuddin. He talked about the commendable community service efforts of the Dawoodi Bohra community. pic.twitter.com/GvZphLiUdt
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 2, 2020
In 2021 during his Bangladesh, The delegation was led by Qaiyum Deesawala, secretary of Anjuman-e-Jamaat, and was greeted “very warmly” by the prime minister. Speaking about the meeting, Qaiyum Deesawala said PM Modi spoke with him and other members of the delegation in Gujarati.
This year when PM Modi visited Mumbai for the inauguration of the new campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah he said: “When I saw your videos, your films, I have just one complaint. You called me “respected PM” in them. I am part of your family. I am not here as a PM or CM. I am fortunate that I have been connected to this family for four generations. All four generations have visited my home.”
According to the Print’s report, the Bohras account for 10 percent of the total Muslim population in India, and the PM’s outreach could help in bridging the gap for the BJP among the Muslims which has increased due to the party’s stance on the CAA, NRC, UCC and an increasing number of hate speech against the Muslim community from some members of the party before the 2024 general elections.
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