GuillermoFenster at 11:47, 7 May 2026

2026-05-07T11:47:41Z

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{{short description|Detailed data of Muslims in Mizoram}}

[[Islam]] is a minority religion in [[Mizoram]], a state in northeastern India, where it constitutes approximately 1.35%(14,832) of the total population, according to the 2011 Census.<ref name="Rel 2011">{{cite web|publisher=Census Department, Government of India|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11385|title=C-01: Population by religious community, Mizoram - 2011|access-date=7 October 2022|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Muslim community in Mizoram is diverse, with ethnic groups such as the Assamese, Bengali, a small local converts.

==History==

The advent of Islam in Mizoram dates to the late nineteenth century, when Muslim soldiers serving under the [[British colonial India|British colonial]] forces arrived during the [[Lushai Expedition]] (1871–1872 and 1889–1890).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pachuau |first=Joy L. K. |url=https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Camera_as_Witness.html?id=wqiwBgAAQBAJ |title=The Camera as Witness |last2=Schendel |first2=Willem van |date=2015-04-13 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-07339-5 |pages=139 |language=en}}</ref> A number of [[sepoy]]s who accompanied the expeditionary troops were of Muslim background, marking the first recorded presence of Islam in the region.{{Sfn|Chakravarty|2020|p=89}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gabriel Khongsai |date=2025-09-07 |title=From Hill Warriors to Sepoys: The Induction of Nagas, Lushais (Mizos), And Kukis into the British Colonial Army |url=https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.17071219 |journal=International Journal of Multi-disciplinary |language=en |volume=4 |issue=5 |pages=23-8 |doi=10.5281/ZENODO.17071219 |issn=2583-7397 |quote=After the Indian Revolt of 1857, which exposed the vulnerabilities of relying on large numbers of high-caste Hindu and Muslim sepoys from the Bengal Army, the British restructured their recruitment strategy.}}</ref>

Although their numbers remained small, the continued military presence, migration of traders from present-day Assam and Bengal, and later government employment contributed to the gradual settlement of Muslims in Mizoram throughout the twentieth century. The population of the community expanded slowly but consistently, forming small clusters across what became the districts of the modern state.{{Sfn|Chakravarty|2020|p=89}}

==Culture==
Muslims in Mizoram celebrate [[Eid al-Fitr]] at the high school ground in Zarkawt, [[Aizawl]], which is 15 minutes away from the [[Aizwal Mosque|Aijwal Mosque]].{{Efn|The Aijal Mosque, established in 1909, is the only mosque in [[Aizawl]] and the oldest mosque in Mizoram<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-07 |title="As it is a mandatory in Mizoram, we must make sure that during your stay in Mizoram you should hold a valid ILP," - Md. Mamon Majumdar |url=https://www.exploremizoram.com/2025/06/we-must-make-sure-that-during-your-stay-in-mizoram-you-should-hold-valid-ilp-mamon-majumder.html |access-date=2025-10-03 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251003152653/https://www.exploremizoram.com/2025/06/we-must-make-sure-that-during-your-stay-in-mizoram-you-should-hold-valid-ilp-mamon-majumder.html?m=1 |archive-date=3 Oct 2025 |website=EXPLORE MIZORAM - Mizoram's Most Trusted Website {{!}} Mizoram's Online Encyclopedia}}</ref>}} The ground is near a church, showing harmony between the Christians and Muslims of Mizoram.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Fanai |first=Ezrela Dalidia |date=August 12, 2019 |title=Muslims offer namaz near church in Christian-majority Mizoram |url=http://www.eastmojo.com/news/2019/08/12/muslims-offer-namaz-near-church-in-christian-majority-mizoram/ |website=EastMojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Verghese |first=C. G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SzNuAAAAMAAJ&q=aizawl+Mosque |title=A History of the Mizos |date=1997 |publisher=Vikas Publishing House |isbn=978-81-259-0307-9 |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=India - ST-14: Scheduled tribe population by religious community (State/UT level), Mizoram - 2011 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11903 |access-date=2025-11-19 |website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>

Quran is also Translated in [[Mizo language]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gajrani |first=S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQWMc7_qj4kC&dq=mozi+muslim&pg=PA239 |title=History, Religion and Culture of India |date=2004 |publisher=Gyan Publishing House |isbn=978-81-8205-065-5 |pages=239 |language=en}}</ref>

==Demographics==


{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Muslim Population in Mizoram<ref name=" Mizoram Pop Census" >{{Cite web |url=http://crsmizo.mizoram.gov.in/demography/index.php?page=census_religion_district&title=Religion-Wise%20Population%20-%20Census%20of%20MizoramPopulation%20-%20Census%20of%20Mizoram |access-date=2026-04-24 |website=crsmizo.mizoram.gov.in}}</ref>
! Year !! (Pop.) !! (%)
|-
| 1951 || ~1,200 || ~0.6
|-
| 1961 || ~1,500 || ~0.6
|-
| 1971 || 1,200 || 0.40
|-
| 1981 || 1,500 || 0.35
|-
| 1991 || 2,000 || 0.30
|-
| 2001 || 10,000 || 1.01
|-
| 2011 || 14,832 || 1.35
|}
The Significant population of Muslims in Mizoram are [[Bengali people|Bengali]], [[Meitei Pangals|Pangals]] and [[Assamese people|Assamese]] living in northern Mizoram districts of [[Kolasib District|Kolasib]] and [[Mamit district|Mamit]] where there are five mosques{{Sfn|Chakravarty|2020|p=89, 93}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bharadwaj |first=Sanskrita |title=Why seven people died in clash between two northeast India states |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/2/india-assam-mizoram-border-clash-northeast-dispute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802115043/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/2/india-assam-mizoram-border-clash-northeast-dispute |archive-date=2021-08-02 |access-date=2026-04-27 |language=en |quote=Talukdar added that the anxieties of the Mizos are similar to those of the Assamese, who also consider themselves indigenous and dislike the Bengali Muslims}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-07-24 |title=As threats rise, Meiteis exodus from Mizoram continues |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/as-threats-rise-meiteis-exodus-from-mizorahttps://web.archive.org/web/20230724015003/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/as-threats-rise-meiteis-exodus-from-mizoram-continues/articleshow/102064001.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230724015003/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/as-threats-rise-meiteis-exodus-from-mizoram-continues/articleshow/102064001.cms |archive-date=2023-07-24 |access-date=2026-05-07 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |quote=A vast majority of the Manipuri people, both Meiteis and Pangals (Manipuri Muslims), in Mizoram are from the Barak Valley areas of Assam.}}</ref> and there is also small community of [[khasi people]] who follow Islam.<ref>Dikshit, K. R.; Dikshit, Jutta K. (21 October 2013). "The People of Meghalaya". ''North-East India: Land, People and Economy.'' [[Springer Science+Business Media]]. p. 361.</ref>

{{Pie chart
| caption = Islam among social group of Mizoram, 2011 census<ref name="Rel 2011"/><ref name="ST Mizoram 2011" />
| value1 = 29
| label1 = [[List of Scheduled Tribes in Mizoram|Scheduled Tribes]]
| color1 = dodgerblue
| other = yes
| other-label = other Muslims
| other-color = gold
}}

===Muslim population by district===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! District<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mizoram Religion Data - Census 2011 |url=http://www.census2011.co.in/data/religion/state/15-mizoram.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403041147/http://www.census2011.co.in/data/religion/state/15-mizoram.html |archive-date=2016-04-03 |access-date=2025-11-19 |website=www.census2011.co.in}}</ref>
! Percent
!Popul.
|-
| [[Aizawl district|Aizawl]]
| 1.31%
|5,177
|-
| [[Champhai district|Champhai]]
| 0.56%
|483
|-
| [[Kolasib district|Kolasib]]
| 5.27%
|4,426
|-
| [[Lawngtlai district|Lawngtlai]]
| 0.44%
|552
|-
| [[Lunglei district|Lunglei]]
| 0.80%
|1,164
|-
| [[Mamit district|Mamit]]
| 2.06%
|1,782
|-
| [[Siaha district|Saiha]]
| 0.91%
|514
|-
| [[Serchhip district|Serchhip]]
| 0.52%
|335
|-
|}

===Muslim population by Tribal Groups===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Muslima among Tribe Groups<ref name="ST Mizoram 2011" >Source:Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Population Census 2011. Table ST-14: Scheduled tribe population by religious community (State/UT level), Mizoram - 2011</ref> ([[Census 2011 India|Census 2011]])
! Tribe Name !! Total Muslims
|-
| All Schedule Tribes || 4,209
|-
| Chakma || 183
|-
| Dimasa Kachari || 99
|-
| Garo || 20
|-
| Hmar || 142
|-
| Any Kuki Tribes || 205
|-
| Any Mizo (Lushai) tribes || 3,168
|-
| Any Naga tribes || 27
|-
| Pawi || 158
|-
| Paite || 109
|-
| Generic Tribes etc. || 65
|}

== Organisations ==

* ''Mizoram Muslim Welfare Society.''<ref>{{Citation |last=Chakraborty|first=Anup Shekhar|title=Gleaning Political Communication Through 'Notices' in North East India|date=2022-10-10|work=Political Communication in Contemporary India|pages=139|url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=ZyWUEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT104&dq=Mizoram+Muslim+welfare+society&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi6romoqLWSAxX2WHADHSyFLQMQ6AF6BAgPEAM#v=onepage&q=Mizoram%20Muslim%20welfare%20society&f=false|access-date=2026-01-29|edition=1|place=London|publisher=Routledge India|language=en|doi=10.4324/9781003159995-17|isbn=978-1-003-15999-5|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2004 |title=The Mizoram Gazette |url=https://mizoramassembly.in/storage/Assembly/Gazette/GN/GZGN33_ISS043.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260412210919/https://mizoramassembly.in/storage/Assembly/Gazette/GN/GZGN33_ISS043.pdf |archive-date=2026-04-12 |access-date=2026-04-12 |website=mizoramassembly.in}}</ref>
* ''Aizawl Mosque Committee (AMC).''<ref>{{Cite news |title=Border standoff: Mizoram's Muslim organisations appeal to people to maintain peace |url=https://nenow.in/north-east-news/mizoram/border-standoff-mizorams-muslim-organisations-appeal-to-people-to-maintain-peace.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103174708/https://nenow.in/north-east-news/mizoram/border-standoff-mizorams-muslim-organisations-appeal-to-people-to-maintain-peace.html |archive-date=2020-11-03 |access-date=2026-04-24 |work=NORTHEAST NOW |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Islam}}
*[[Religion in Mizoram]]
*[[Buddhism in Mizoram]]
*[[Hinduism in Mizoram]]
*[[Islam in India]]

==References==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist}}
* {{citation |last=Chakravarty |first=Ankita |publisher=Social Welfare & Tribal Affairs Department, Government of Mizoram |year=2020 |url=https://repository.tribal.gov.in/upload/bitstream/123456789/61938/1/TRMZ_2020_book1.pdf |location=Aizawl, Mizoram |title=Tribal Atlas Mizoram |pages= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251104095236/https://repository.tribal.gov.in/upload/bitstream/123456789/61938/1/TRMZ_2020_book1.pdf |archive-date=2025-11-04 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite thesis |last1=Ahmed |first1=Syed |title=Islam in North-East India: 17th to the 19th Century |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10603/16737 |hdl=10603/16737 |year=2003 |language=English |degree=Ph.D. |type=Ph.D. thesis |publisher=Jawaharlal Nehru University |publication-place=Delhi |department=School of Social Sciences |others=Supervisor: Yogesh Sharma |format=PDF |pages=237 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251118095749/https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/16737 |archive-date=2025-11-18 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-11-18}}

[[Category:Islam in Mizoram| ]]

Islam in Mizoram - Revision history

GuillermoFenster at 11:47, 7 May 2026