The 12 men arrested in Amsterdam on Flight NW-42, and since cleared of all charges, were Bohra Muslims from Mumbai. The point of interest is that the Bohra community has always been known for being strictly apolitical, and sharply focused on its primary task of trading. Here’s a brief guide to the Bohras• The roots this Muslim community traces its spiritual ancestry to early conversions to Ismaili Shiism during the reign of the Fatimid caliph-imam al-Mustansir (1036-1094) . When schisms occurred in the Ismaili dawah (mission) in the eleventh and twelfth centuries in Egypt, the Ismailis in India followed the Fatimi Tayyibi dawah of Yemen. • The Name The word Bohra (also spelled Bohara or Vohra) is derived from the Gujarati vohorvu or vyavahar, meaning “to trade” • The history In 1592, a leadership struggle caused the Tayyibiyya to be split into sulaimanis (sometimes formerly also called Makramis) and Dawoodis. The Sulaimani Bohra - named after their 27th Da’i, Sulayman ibn Hassan - are mainly concentrated in Yemen while Dawoodis are in India and Pakistan. • The USP No pun intended, but it’s their reputation as traders that sets them apart from all other Muslim sects. Indeed, they are referred to as the Marwaris of the Muslim community. Setting up base in Mumbai, they established themselves as itinerant peddlers; by the mid-19th century, they moved on to other things. Some went into retailing foodstuffs, but the majority of the surviving small businesses are in hardware. By the turn of the century some Bohra families could be counted among the richest in the city. Today the Bohras, despite the community’s micro size, can be found across the globe. It’s fair to say that their sole aim is capitalism, making • Forward Movement the Dawoodi Bohras are said to be In his book “Mullahs on the Mainframe: Islam and Modernity among the Daudi Bohras”, Jonah Blank writes on the community’s use of modern communications technology, including the internet and cell phones, to connect far-flung believers. He notes that over 90% of respondents surveyed credit modern technology with helping reinvigorate traditional values over the past two decades. Given that it’s a highly centralized denomination, technology makes it easy for them to communicate with the clergy• The ‘Progressives’ The latest sub-group to emerge from the Dawoodi Bohra sect is the Progressive Dawoodis, which aims at reforming what it calls the “closing of the Bohra mind” and the oppressions of the clergy. The foremost personality of this movement is Asghar Ali EngineerSources: OUP Encyclopaedia of the Modern Islamic World, et al
