So wot is zaat then? Ur family’s surnames? In Pakistan some kids are named after their father’s FIRST name for some reason…that always confuses me…so wudn’t that mean that ur family name gets lost along the way if u just take the first name instead of surname? So from ur mum n dad’s surnames u can tell where they r from or something
Zaat implies something racial and something social. In old days, it was used as a basis for social stratification, with some races/tribes (usually in military, administrative, and religious professions) forming the Upper Zaats (strata) and some (the menial classes) forming the Lower Zaats (strata).
Anyhow, race, color, etc. are very powerful impulses and driving forces the importance of which in identity formation should not be down played.
"paki" is just a territorial and political label and connotes nothing beyond that..."Asian" again derives from geography and doesn't give a clue about Zaat...Zaat has a socio-political meaning e.g. Gujjars in tradional Pashtun Society formed the lower strata but in the society of Punjab, for example, they formed the upper strata. So the term Zaat is significant in a particular social setting.
In a tribal society, there are no Zaat and all tribes are socially, and to some extent politicaly, equal. In a feudal society, the conquerors and dominant classes that hold resources and social and political power/authority form the upper Zaats. In modern democratic/industralized societies, Zaat is something implying "fraternity" or "brotherhood" and serving as a basis for "fellow-feelings" (rather than "social stratification"). It is another matter that this "brotherhood" is based on "blood-intimacy".
^ Ok, it's just that before u mentioned that zaat implies something racial so that's y i thought of race and then us being Asian...but ur rite that is more along the lines of geography...and so zaat is something social i gather...well, that helps a little and thanks for being patient with me and my questions.
When my parents went to Liberty in Lahore to buy jewelery for my wife a few weeks before our wedding, the jeweller asked them: “Aap ki bahu ki zaat kaunsi hai?”
And my dad was like: “Mujhai nahi patta aur mujhai patta karne ki zaroorat bhi koi nahi hai. Mujhai ye patta hai, kay wo ache loog hain. Mere liye ye hi kaafi hai.” And the jeweller was like: “Ye kaise ho sakta hai?”
The reaction of the jeweller surprised me. Do people really give zaat so much importance?
49:13 O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations andtribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
Why are you angry ? I am just telling the facts.
My best friend in Delhi was a Kataria jat. He was 6ft-5inces tall and a wrestler.
Go to the website: www.jatland.com . It is a website for hindu jats.
It gives a listing of all gotras or sub castes of the hindu jats. Kataria is listed there. http://www.jatland.com/wiki/index.php/Gotras
I may have made a mistake. It seems that Kataria’s are found in both Hindu jats and Gujjar community’s. I have found a webpage of Hindu Gujjar Kataria’s
It is interesting! Do Rajputs and Jats ethnicities overlap? Which is considered more ancient ethnicity? Moreover, the ethno-term "Mand" can also be found amongst Pashtuns e.g. Mandukhel and Madanar, a Yousafzai subclan...
Numb, 1400 years back, they ostensibly sat to build a universal empire but ended-up building an Arab Empire rather in which Arab were the ruling race. Arab are srtill a nation proud of their unique identity. Turks build an Empire to rule foreign lands but reverted to their actual Turkish identity after the empire collapsed. There cannot be a “universal brotherhood” or “Ummah”. However, if you want to live in a fantasy world that is another matter. There will forever be ethnicities, nations, and races because in order to survive, you must be affiliated with a race.
It seems religious zealots like Brahmanic priests and Islamic Mullahs did everything to erase the actual roots of Rajputs, Pashtuns, etc. to link them to Brahmanism and monotheism. In case of Pashtuns, names of Pashtun tribes were Islamized/Arabized. It is interesting that none of the Arab tribes changed its name due to Islam, Quraish remained Quraish before and after Islam and Hdrat Umar for example had the same name before and after Islam.
Nevertheless, origin of such races as Pashtuns, Rajputs, Jatts, etc. should be studied collectively to find the missing links and strengthen existing theories.