Islam in Punjab, India

Islam is a minority religion in Punjab, India followed by 5.35 lakhs people comprising about 1.93% of the state population out of 27.7 million population as of 2011 census report.[1]

Islam has a strong historical presence in Punjab with many mosques, mausoleums and shrines. Comprising 33% of the East Punjab population in 1941, most Muslims left the region en-masse for West Punjab in newly formed Pakistan during the Partition of India in 1947.

History

Islam first arrived in the Punjab region following the conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712. The first permanent Muslim conquest of the Punjab was carried out by Mahmud Ghaznavi who made the whole of the Punjab a province of his empire with the headquarters at Lahore.

When the Ghaznavid Empire began to decline, the region was conquered by Muhammad Ghori. The conquest by Muhammad Ghori inaugurated a period of Muslim rule which lasted until the 18th century. The Mughals made most of East Punjab a part of the governorate of Sirhind.

The founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was born in Qadian, East Punjab in 1835.

In the 1941 census, Muslims comprised 33.0% of the East Punjab population, numbering around 2.7 million and formed a majority in the districts of Amritsar, Ferozepore, Gurdaspur and Jalandhar. After the Partition of Punjab, the population declined to 90,000 or 0.5% due to large-scale mass migration to West Punjab, Pakistan.

Today, Muslims are scattered across East Punjab with small concentrations in the cities of Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Malerkotla and Qadian. Malerkotla is the only municipality in Indian Punjab that has a Muslim majority.[2]

Demography

Demographics according to 2011.

# District Muslim Population
1 Amritsar 0.50% 12,502
2 Barnala 2.20% 13,100
3 Bathinda 1.17% 16,299
4 Faridkot 0.51% 3,125
5 Fatehgarh Sahib 2.80% 16,808
6 Firozpur 0.34% 6,844
7 Gurdaspur 1.20% 27,667
8 Hoshiarpur 1.46% 23,089
9 Jalandhar 1.38% 30,233
10 Kapurthala 1.25% 10,190
11 Ludhiana 2.22% 77,713
12 Mansa 1.35% 10,375
13 Moga 0.94% 9,388
14 Muktsar 0.48% 4,333
15 Patiala 2.11% 40,043
16 Rupnagar 2.12% 14,492
17 Mohali 2.96% 29,488
18 Sangrur 10.82% 179,116
19 Nawanshehar 1.12% 6,829
20 Tarn Taran 0.34% 3,855
Punjab (Total) 1.93% 535,489
Trends in Muslim population of Punjab, India before and after Partition [3][4][5] [6]
Census year% of total populationDecadal growthIncrease
1946 (Before partition)33%N/AN/A
1947 (After partition)0.5%8.34%

-32.5%

19510.63%16.26%

+0.13%

19610.82%17.48%+0.19%
19710.93%17.76%+0.11%
19811%17.35%+0.07%
19911.18%17.11%+0.18%
20011.57%18.91%+0.39%
20111.93%19.80%+0.36%
Muslim Population in Punjab,India after partition
YearPop.±%
1947 90,172—    
1951 110,160+22.2%
1961 181,234+64.5%
1971 252,688+39.4%
1981 321,287+27.1%
1991 390,077+21.4%
2001 382,045−2.1%
2011 535,489+40.2%
Source: Census of India

References
  1. Punjab Population Sex Ratio in Punjab Literacy rate data 2011 ...
  2. "A renewed hate campaign". Frontline. 18 (11). 2001.
  3. https://www.ummid.com/news/2019/march/29.03.2019/muslims-in-punjab.html
  4. http://punenvis.nic.in/index3.aspx?sslid=2277&subsublinkid=1527&langid=1&mid=1
  5. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312619811_Demographic_Dynamism_of_Punjab_1971-2011
  6. https://www.newslaundry.com/2015/01/09/the-vanishing-hindus-of-pakistan-a-demographic-study-2
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