Re: Memons
oh my God. Send me a fax number, I'll fax you a historical flowchart.
Re: Memons
PyCg: What do you mean memons have their own language. Waht do you mean by their own imam with respect to the othe sects (Bohras, Khojas). Why are they brahmins what about marrying a regular Indian muslim. This is very knowledgeable. Thank You.
Do you like know NOTHING about South Asia? Man, you’ve been in Peace Corps for a loong time. 
I so wish I could do that!
What could I possibly mean when I say memons have their own language? You worked in Venezuela. Those guys have their OWN LANGUAGE? Are you seriously asking me this question? Just like in Spanish people speak Spanish while Italians speak Italian, Memons SPEAK MEMONI.
South Asia has LOTS of sub-cultures. Each with their own language and particular cultural practices.
Bohras and Khojas have their own imams. This means, they have this leader that they highly value whom they call an Imam - this is not seen in mainstream sunni muslims. Sunni Muslims do not have one Imam that they all look up to, or one leader they all look up to. But Bohras and Khojas have their own respective leaders they call Imams and give religious value to them.
Why are they Brahmins? We are mostly all of Aryan descent - muslims and hindus of the South Asian continent. So of course there will be Pakistanis who’s ancestors were Brahmin, but they converted. Thus, these people are not considered Brahmins anymore, as they aren’t hindu anymore.
Why can’t they marry a regular Indian muslim? I don’t see why they can’t. Its just that each sub-culture of the South Asian subcontinent likes to marry within their own sub-culture. This trend is fast ending now.
You should ask your mom to explain these basic details to you.
Re: Memons
^^ PyCg: Thank you very much for a crash course in local off-shoots of Islam. I was under the impression that memons were a sect, but you make it sound like a clan that converted to Islam but being Brahmins decided to stay away from mainstream Islam and thus injected their own Imams etc (speaking of all three combined for simplicity). Do Khojas, Bohras and memons speak the same language? or are there three different dialects? The reason I asked about the language was since you brought it up. I know sunnis that speak pushtu, sindhi, but didnt know that memons had their own dialect.
I dont mean this in an offensive manner but are you a memon/bohra/khoja? and being a brahmin class would it be OK for a memon(brahmin) to marry a sunni (shudar)?
I cant ask these questions to my mum, she right away questions me that I am trying to run away from marrying. I personally would marry a non-mulsim and have them convert to Islam because of good deeds and the fact that Islam is the way of life. When I was in the remote villages of Venezuela, people would look in awe while I said my prayers in the open. I wish more of my muslim brothers/sisters would join the peace corp. It is such a nice thing to do. I would recommend at least devoting 1 to 3 years of life to a cause such as PC. We built wells, taught in schools, showed them how to dig drainage pipes and what to do with sewer water and sweage systems. Oh I wish I was back, I made so many nice friends, I remember these cute little twins must be 5 yrs old, Juan and Carmela; they would come wake me up every morning so they could see me how to pray andthen teach them in school. I dont like civilization anymore, many mean people around. I want to go back to innocence.
Sorry didnt mean to derail the thread I am still tryingto acclimatize to civilization and how to conduct myself.
Thank you very much for your insight on sub-sects.
Re: Memons
Do Khojas, Bohras and memons speak the same language? or are there three different dialects?
I think its already been discussed but Bohra and Khoja speak Gujraati abd memon speak Memoni which are different languages.
**I dont mean this in an offensive manner but are you a memon/bohra/khoja? **
She is memon.
being a brahmin class would it be OK for a memon(brahmin) to marry a sunni (shudar)?
Once you are Muslims you don’t consider yourself as Brahmin or shuder. There is no caste system in Islam. I can’t believe that you asked that question as being a Muslim.
B.T.W I respect and admire you for what you did in Venezuela. :k:
Re: Memons
I am sorry, I agree that muslims dont believe in caste system, but she mentioned twice that memons were brahmins so I was curious that maybe memons did believe in caste systems, otherwise why emphasize on memons being brahmins.
Thank you for the kind words regarding Venezuela.
Re: Memons
again..khojas are shias...they believe in 12 imams...obviously they are not Syeds
Re: Memons
PCG, im confused, as far as I didnt know, memons arent a sect of Islam.
[quote]
A perk benefit - MOST memon families (not all - trends are changing fast), the girls side pays for the hospital and doctor bills for their pregnant daughters when they baby is being born. Eh well, less kharcha for you to worry about nudge nudge
[/quote]
I dont think its a memon thing only, Ive seen this happen in various punjabi families too...
Re: Memons
Re: Memons
Spock: No, memons are a CULTURAL GROUP. They are not a separate Islamic sect. They are sunnis. So to make this simple for you - they're like Punjabis, except they're not as egocentric and they're way more cheap. ;)
Kashif Raja:
Do Khojas, Bohras and memons speak the same language? or are there three different dialects?
Agent Smith is wrong. Khojas typically speak Kutchi, which is NOT GUJRATI. Bhoras have their own langauge also - also it is NOT GUJRATI. Memons speak memoni. Each of the three languages are mixes of Sindhi and Gujrati and some other languages. I think there is even Punjabi mixed in there as well, due to the different migration patters of the groups over centuries. However, the ancestors of all 3 groups are the same.
*I dont mean this in an offensive manner but are you a memon/bohra/khoja? *
Memon.
being a brahmin class would it be OK for a memon(brahmin) to marry a sunni (shudar)?
You are getting confused with the whole Brahmin bit. Memon ancestors from Sindh were Brahmins AT THAT TIME. Obviously after converting to Islam and centuries of time gone by, we dont think of ourselves as Brahmins anymore. In fact, most Memons have no idea that their ancestors were Brahmins, nor would they probably care to know. Its just part of our history.
So, since memons are SUNNIS, they will marry Sunni muslim. Whether that Sunni Muslim is culturally a Pathan, or a Punjabi, or a Kashmiri, or an Irani, or a Chinese, etc - doesn't matter.
Re: Memons
PCG I don't know which Khojas or Bohris you have met but the one I know speak Gujraati and I am pretty damn sure about that. They have different pronunciation of few words but it is still considered as Gujraati. I know lots of families back in Karachi and also here in US. You are welcome to disagree with me but I am not going to say anything else about it.
Re: Memons
Um yeah, I know bohra families and khoja families too - its not gujrati, but it sure sounds like it.
Kutchi is its own language. Its not gujrati from what I understand, and that is what Khojas speak.
Bhoras have their own bhori tongue. I've heard it and its not the same as gujrati either. There's a lot of sindhi mixed in there.
Now if there are families that still speak the gujrati, that is different. My own grandparents and parents generation can converse in gujrati and write in it. They just never passed it down to my generation.
My nanni would only read gujrati newspapers in Pakistan (yes, there is a pakistani newspaper printed entirely in gujrati) - she could not read urdu, although she could speak it.
Gujrati was also one of the main languages used in general by people who were not even gujrati, because gujrati was the language in which most business used to be done up until Pakistan and India's independence.
Re: Memons
Sorry if I sound like a pain-in-the-neck but I see most people on this board misspelling Gujarat and Gujarati. It is not Gujrati. Sounds like a Punjabi pronunciation of Gujarati :D
Re: Memons
who cares, lady?
Re: Memons
Lady who?
Re: Memons
you
Re: Memons
Aint me. I am a guy.
Re: Memons
oh.
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Why do you think I am a girl??