The Banu Israil or Bani israili are a Muslim community found in the state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. Their name means "Children of Israel", and the community claims descent from the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

community of

Madinah Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...

. They belong to the

Shaikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

caste, and typically carry the surname ''Israily''. They should not be confused with the

Bene Israel The Bene Israel (), also referred to as the " Shanivar Teli" () or " Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via their ancestors who had settled there c ...

, a Jewish community found in western India.

Origin

The exact circumstances of their settlement in

is unclear, but their traditions make clear that they were Muslims at the time of their settlement. They are largely an urban community, occupying distinct quarters in a number of towns and cities in western

, such as Banu Israilyan in

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capit ...

. Quite a few of them occupied important administrative positions under both the

Sultanate of Delhi The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

and its successor, the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the ...

. This was especially true of the Banu Israil of Aligarh, where the community were the heredity ''

kotwal The Kotwal also spelled as Cotwal, or Kotval was a title used in medieval India for the leader of a Kot or fort. Kotwals often controlled the fort of a major town or an area of smaller towns on behalf of another ruler. It was similar in function ...

s'', a post which entailed being both the head of police and garrison commander. Although largely an urban community, there were several settlements of rural Banu Israil in

Etah District Etah district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh, India, since 1854. Etah City is the district headquarters. Etah district is a part of Aligarh Division. About According to the 2011 census Etah district has a population of 1,761,152. ...

. These Banu Israil are unique in that they are largely a community of farmers. In additions, the community were found in the town of

Dhampur Dhampur is a city and a municipal board in Bijnor district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located at , and lies in Northern India. History In 1805, Dhampur was sacked by Pindaris. The Indian sugar company Dhampur Sugar M ...

Bijnor District Bijnor district is one of the 75 districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Bijnor city is the district headquarters. The government of Uttar Pradesh seeks it to be included in National Capital Region (NCR) due to its close proximity t ...

, in Bilari in

Moradabad District Moradabad district is one of the Districts of Uttar Pradesh, districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Moradabad is the district headquarters. Moradabad district is a part of Moradabad division. It is used to be the second most populous district of Utt ...

, in

Sahaswan Sahaswan is a city and a municipal board in Budaun district in the Indian state of western Uttar Pradesh. It is also an administrative Block, 0177 is the block code. Demographics According to 2011 Census of India the total area of the Sahasw ...

and

Badaun Budaun is commonly pronounced Badayun is a city and a seat of Budaun district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located near the Ganges river in the centre of Western Uttar Pradesh. Budaun was the capital of Delhi Sultanate for four years from 121 ...

in Badaun District, and in the city of

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

Bareilly District The Bareilly district belongs to the state Uttar Pradesh in States and territories of India, northern India. Its capital is Bareilly city and it is divided in six administrative division or tehsils: Aonla, Uttar Pradesh, Aonla, Baheri, Bareilly ...

. Ganjdundwara in Kasganj District, Tribes and Castes of North Western Provinces and Oudh Volume IV by William Crook

References

External links

Religion Journal: The Indian Muslims with Ties to Israel
– ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' {{Indian Muslim Shaikh clans Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities of India Jews and Judaism in India Jews and Judaism in Pakistan Groups claiming Israelite descent Social groups of Uttar Pradesh Hejazi Jews

Origin

See also

References

External links