South Asia People Groups

Gujjars

When Ghulam Rasul’s son was afflicted with a life-threatening illness, he thought his only hope was to call on the spirits for help.

Using the leafy branch of a forest herb, Rasul anointed him with oil. With his hand resting on the child, the father rocked back and forth, chanting the Koran. He blew all around his head and shoulders, “blowing away” the evil that was afflicting him. Then he "spit" the evil out on the ground. After the ceremony, Rasul silently hoped that maybe this time God would hear him.

But for Rasul and his 2 million fellow Muslim Gujjars, Jesus Christ, the one true Son of God, isn’t a name they’ve heard. Instead most of the Muslim Gujjars follow folk Islam, a brand of the religion that mixes Islam with traditional animistic practices.

Most Gujjars live as nomads in Afghanistan, Pakistan and north India. Before the Mogul invasion in the 11th century, the Gujjars ruled the area. After the invasion, they were forced to convert to Islam and give up their land to surrounding tribes. They've been nomads ever since.

Gujjar are pastoralists who raise sheep, goats and water buffalo. Some have settled and become small-scale farmers. Gujjar families average six to eight children, but some are much larger. A village is often one extended family.

Although Gojri, the language of the Gujjars, is an unwritten language, an alphabet recently has been developed.

Muslim Gujjars have not attained the same socioeconomic and religious status as other Muslims in the region. Their nomadic lifestyle keeps them out of the mainstream of the Muslim community. Also, their illiteracy, poverty and lack of development keep them at a low status.

Except for milk products, they have to purchase everything, but their lack of cash often causes great difficulty. Few cooperatives exist for marketing their milk, and few banks will lend to nomads with no fixed income.

Religion

Few inroads have been developed in sharing the gospel with this people. Among the 2 million Gujjars there are no known Christians or indigenous churches, no Scripture in Gojri and no Christian radio broadcasts. Since most Gujars are oral learners, many Christian workers believe an oral Bible is essential, but so far it has not been developed.

Even if resources can be developed the location of the Gujjars makes them very difficult to reach. Many Gujjars live in Kashmir, one of the most dangerous places on earth. The conflict in the region between India and Pakistan makes it a challenge for Christian workers to reach out to people in the region, which is considered the core of Gujjar culture.