|
DHARAMSALA: Mr Yusaf Naik, an official of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, is no different from his colleagues. He speaks fluent Tibetan, follows Tibetan customs, has complete faith in the leadership of the Dalai Lama and prays for the freedom of Tibet, but strangely enough he offers namaz, like any other Muslim, despite being a Tibetan. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of his community is that while staunchly Islamic in their faith, the Kache, as the Tibetan Muslims are called, are thoroughly Tibetan in every other aspect. In a predominantly Buddhist nation like Tibet, they were able to preserve their identity and at the same time absorb Tibetan social and cultural customs. It all started in the 12th century when a hardy band of 25 Kashmiri traders from Kashmir crossed over to Nepal and headed north to Tibet. They settled in different towns of Tibet like Lhasa, Shigaste and Tsetang, and married Tibetan women. Centuries later, the expanded Tibetan community approached the fifth Dalai Lama for a place for a mosque and a burial ground. It is said that the fifth Dalai Lama shot an arrow and decreed that the place where it fell could be owned by the Muslim community. The place came to be known as Gyangda Linka, the Park of the Distant Arrow. Most Tibetan Muslims were traders, doing brisk business by bringing consumer goods from Calcutta and off-loading Tibetan wool in Kalimpong. In Tibet, they had shops selling consumer goods as well as specialising in the making of traditional Tibetan clothes and hats. The major items of trade were saffron, Indian silk and brocade from Kashmir and musk, gold dust and medicinal herbs from Tibet. The Tibetan Muslims are Sunnis. It was common for a Kashmiri to marry a Tibetan girl, who had then to become a Muslim. In Tibet, they were considered Indian citizens, thus having the status of foreigners. In the case of a mixed marriage, the son was considered an Indian and a daughter a Tibetan. While being pious Muslims, the community was well-integrated with the main Tibetan society and considered Tibet and anything Tibetan to be their own. They made up for their small size by the diversity and richness of their contribution to the development of Tibetan culture. From setting the trend in fashion in the high society of Lhasa to music, poetry, literature and business, the Tibetan Muslims' impact on the social and cultural life to Tibet was refreshing, tangible and invigorating. As in the case of all other Tibetans, the Chinese occupation of Tibet affected the Tibetan Muslims. Rather than living under Chinese occupation, they opted for India, claiming Indian citizenship on the basis of their Kashmiri ancestry. They approached the Indian Consulate in Lhasa in 1960, returning to Srinagar, the land from where their ancestors went to Tibet nearly seven centuries ago. Recalling the nostalgic moments spent with his family, back in Tibet, Mr Yusuf Naik, Joint Secretary in the Department of Health in the Tibetan Government, says: "For Tibetan Muslims, Id and Losar (Tibetan New Year) held equal significance, as we celebrated the festivals with the Tibetans". He goes on to add that though all Tibetan Muslims are Indian citizens today, they still cling to the memories of old Tibet, which gave them so much in terms of prosperity and tolerance. Mr Yusuf Naik says the administration of the Tibetan Muslim community is carried out by the Punch Committee, elected by the community members and approved by the Tibetan Government. The word "Punch" has its origin in the Urdu and Persian languages. It is translated as "five", referring to the number of members on the panel. This committee incorporated resolutions based on the Islamic laws of conduct in its quest to preserve the Tibetan Muslim community's cultural heritage. "My father, Abdul Ghani, was a member of the Punch Committee, which had the power to punish anybody found guilty of violating the laws of Islam, Shariat", says Mr Naik. It was after the holy month of Ramzan in 1959 that the Chinese began their tactics of colonisation. "My father, along with other Punch Committee members, was detained by the Chinese Government. We were all surprised by the extreme steps being taken by the Chinese, who arrested one of my relatives, Haji Habilluah, on a baseless charge of instigating the Tibetan Muslims to move to India". Despite 17 long years of imprisonment, Abdul Ghani refused to change his statements. He was kept in Drapchi prison, where Tibetan Government officials were detained. By the time he was released from prison, he was touching 70 and suffering from serious ailments, which soon claimed his life. Today, a large number of Tibetan Muslims are living in Srinagar, the place of their forefathers. More than 1,000 of them are living in Srinagar, while 700 are living in Kalimpong, near Darjeeling. A few families have settled in Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The Tibetan Government-in-exile, on its part, has been trying to extend all possible help to the Tibetan Muslims. In 1993, it offered three posts of Under-Secretary to the Tibetan Muslims. "Being in exile ourselves, there is little that we can do for the Tibetan Muslims, but the Indian Government has come to their rescue", says Mr Tashi Wangdi, Minister for Religion and Culture in the Tibetan Government. "Though they have come to India on the basis of their Indian citizenship, for all other purposes they continue to be a part of us as similar circumstances compelled all of us to leave our homeland", says Mr Tashi Wangdi. The Dalai Lama has spoken to the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, about the problems being faced by the Tibetan Muslims in Srinagar. He has also visited them on a number of occasions. Mr Wangdi says several proposals for the welfare of the Tibetan Muslims in Srinagar have been framed by his government. Even today, the Tibetan Muslims continued to remain a distinct community retaining their Tibetan identity. It is not uncommon to find a number of Tibetan women who have converted to Islam after their marriage. In Tibet, there were schools where both Urdu and Tibetan were taught and Quran was studied With a number of marriages and social interaction with the local residents in Srinagar, a lot of Kashmiri culture is being imbibed by Tibetan Muslims. |