Sylhetis: Difference between revisions

Sylhetis
ছিলটী
Total population
	14 million
Regions with significant populations
	Sylhet Division (Bangladesh); Barak Valley (India);
Languages
	Sylheti, Bengali, English
Religion
	Predominantly Islam, minority Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
	Bengalis, Indo-Aryan peoples

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 09:55, 11 March 2017

The Sylhetis (Sylheti: ছিলটী Silôṭi) or Sylheti people are Bengalis who speak the Sylheti language which is either considered as a dialect of Bengali and as a separate language. They are native to the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh, and the Barak Valley, India.

Sylhetology

Sylhetology is a deductive method of studying the ancient history of Sylhet, hypothesising the tradition of oral history and comparing with written history and archaeological findings to reach a rational conclusion. Sylhetology as a form of proposed by a London-based polymath on 25 May 2015.

Sylheti Jati

Sylheti Ethnicity is also known as Sylheti Jati in popular form; it includes peoples from Barak Valley in Southern Assam, India and Surma Valley or Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. Sylheti Jati includes peoples from different religious denominations including Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Pagans and Atheists. A perception runs wild in Bangladesh that people of Sylhet are planning in connivance with India to carve out an independent state of Sylhet consisting of South Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, greater Mymensingh, greater Dhaka, greater Comilla, greater Noakhali, greater Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts with the epicentre at the city of Sylhet. This myth was concocted in an anonymous group or individual(s) in London and it led to consequential suppression of Sylheti Jati in Bangladesh. Sylheti Jati is gaining wider recognition and momentum outside of Bangladesh and India due to growing human conscious and prevalence of human rights in European countries, particularly in the UK, and the USA. Sylheti as a Jati is promoted by Sylhetologists and human rights activists.^[1]

Origin of Sylhet

Sylheti Diaspora is regarded as an artificially Bengali because of their distinct ethnicity which is more close to North India than Bengal; Apart from Indian people, lineage of Sylheti people can be traced to varied peoples of antiquity including Semitic and Sumerian peoples. King of Assyria voyaged to Sylhet and established his kingdom consisting of isles of Bengal and Assam. Following the collapse of Assyrian kingdom in Sylhet, Aryan speaking people made advances and founded their kingdoms along the Surma-Barak Valleys. Sumerian origin names have been abbreviated, for example, the name "Sylhet" has derived from As Syriahat, Surma is a variant of Sumer and Assam (As Sam) is corrupt of Ash Sham. Until the medieval period, Bengal and Assam were part of the Kingdom of Syriahatta, which is written as Srihatta by some writers. People of Sylhet conform to the Semitic account of the history, which confirms that Noah’s second son, Shem, had five sons: (1) Elam, (2) Asshur, (3) Arphaxad, (4) Lud, and (5) Aram Genesis 10:22.^[2] Shem’s second son, Asshur founded the ancient As-Syria in Mesopotamia and later established As-Syriat in Surma Valley, which came to be known as Sirihat or Srihatta in medieval period and Sylhet in modern epoch. King Asshur has been vilified in Vedic scriptures by his arrivals, who later came to known as Aryans and they subdued the people of Assyriat Kingdom. People of the Assyriat Kingdom established a subsidiary kingdom consisting of the southern strip and it was named after the third river in the Eden Garden: Hiddekel. In medieval time, pundits have Sanskritised the name of Hiddekel Kingdom to Harikel or Harikela. To put things in historical perspective, until partition in 1947, Sylhetis were part of Assam in north-eastern British India, as it then was.^[3]

Early History

Sylheti diaspora emerged due to a need for an economic sustenance, young men searching for better employment elsewhere led to the foundation of Sylheti Diaspora. In the heyday of the British Raj, when young men from the land of Sylhet worked as lascars in the British merchants marine, some jumping the ship in London in search of better life and others found alternative routes to enter the motherland, causing chain migration and eventual settlement in working-class neighbourhoods of London’s East End. Many of the Sylheti men moved on and found better working conditions in industrial cities and towns such as Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Oldham and so on.^[4] Sylhet is a seafaring nation; going to the sea is in the blood of all Sylheti and it was a daredevil adventure for Sylheti young men until the land reform forced upon them by the British Raj in 1793 CE as part of the Permanent Settlement Act of 1793, which altered the entire social, political and economic landscape of the country and going to the sea became a necessity. Young men from Sylhet boarded ships mainly at Kolkata, Mumbai and Singapore. Some of these early Sylheti seamen visited Britain and America and sought employment; although by virtue of Magna Carta Libertatum, there were no legal restriction on them to enter and leave Britain freely, some authors have played the ship jumping rather disproportionately without realising that the Sylheti seamen knew they could visit the motherland without making any declaration of intent, which was required to enter the USA. The early recorded history indicates a strong connection between Sylheti Diaspora and the Sylheti seamen.^[5]

Caste and Class

People of Sylhet are socially stratified into four caste, which is called chaturvarna and three social classes. Caste system derived from Hindu system of varna ‘colour’ and jati ‘ethnicity’, which divides people into four colours: White, Red, Yellow and Black. White people are Brahmans, who are destined to be priests, teachers and preachers; Red people are Kshatriyas, who are destined to be kings, governors, warriors and soldiers; Yellow people are Vyasas, who are born to be cattle herders, ploughmen, artisans and merchants; and Black people are Shudras, who are born to be labourers and servants to the people of twice born caste.^[6]^[7] People from all caste denominations exist among Hindus in Sylhet.

Class system among Muslims evolved during the halcyon days of the Mughal Empire and it is divided into three layers: Ashraf, Ajlaf and Arzal. Ashraf is the noble class destined to be priests, teachers, preachers, kings, governors, warriors and soldiers; Ajlaf is the middle class destined to be cattle herders, ploughmen, artisans and merchants; and Arzal is the working class destined to labour and provide services to all others.^[8]^[9] People belonging to Arzal social class do not have family names or surnames; Arzal men usually use names of Islamic heroes or honorific as their last name, which are about a dozen of the last names commonly used by Arzals and they names are as follows:

1. Ahmed;
2. Mohammed or Muhammad;
3. Ali;
4. Husein, Hussain or Hossain;
5. Hassan or Hasan;
6. Zaman;
7. Islam;
8. Huq or Haque;
9. Ad-Deen, Al-Deen, Ud-Deen or Uddin;
10. Ullah;
11. Mian or Miah; and
12. Alam or Alom.

Women of Arzal social class use about half a dozen of names as their last names and examples are given below:

1. Begum;
2. Khanum;
3. Khatun;
4. Nahar;
5. Nisa;
6. Bibi; and
7. Banu.

Many Arzal men are given one of the ninety nine attributions of Allah and these attributions are required to have prefix of servant to make a distinction between the Creator and creation. The prefix is usually Abdul and examples are as follows:

1. Abdur Rahman (Servant of The All Compassionate);
2. Abdurr Rahim (Servant of The Most Merciful);
3. Abdul Malik (Servant of The King, The Sovereign);
4. Abdul Quddus (Servant of The Most Holy);
5. Abdus Salam (Servant of Peace and Blessing);
6. Abdul Mu'min (Servant of The Guarantor);
7. Abdul Muhaymin (Servant of The Guardian, the Preserver);
8. Abdul Aziz (Servant of The Almighty, the Self Sufficient);
9. Abdul Jabbaar (Servant of The Powerful, the Irresistible);
10. Abdul Mutakabbir (Servant of The Tremendous);
11. Abdul Khaaliq (Servant of The Creator);
12. Abdul Baari' (Servant of The Maker);
13. Abdul Musawwir (Servant of The Fashioner of Forms);
14. Abdul Ghaffaar (Servant of The Ever Forgiving);
15. Abdul Qah’haar (Servant of The All Compelling Subduer);
16. Abdul Wahhaab (Servant of The Bestower);
17. Abdur Razzaaq (Servant of The Ever Providing);
18. Abdul Fattaah (Servant of The Opener, the Victory Giver);
19. Abdul Alim (Servant of The All Knowing, the Omniscient);
20. Abdul Qaabid (Servant of The Restrainer, the Straightener);
21. Abdul Baasit (Servant of The Expander, the Munificent);
22. Abdul Khaafid (Servant of The Abaser);
23. Abdur Raafi' (Servant of The Exalter);
24. Abdul Mu'izz (Servant of The Giver of Honour);
25. Abdul Muzil (Servant of The Giver of Dishonour);
26. Abdus Sami' (Servant of The All Hearing);
27. Abdul Basir (Servant of The All Seeing);
28. Abdul Hakam (Servant of The Judge, the Arbitrator);
29. Abd Al 'Adl (Servant of The Utterly Just);
30. Abdul Latif (Servant of The Subtly Kind);
31. Abdul Khabir (Servant of The All Aware);
32. Abdul Halim (Servant of The Forbearing, the Indulgent);
33. Abdul 'Azim (Servant of The Magnificent, the Infinite);
34. Abdul Ghafur (Servant of The All Forgiving);
35. Abdush Shakur (Servant of The Grateful);
36. Abdul Alii (Servant of The Sublimely Exalted);
37. Abdul Kabir (Servant of The Great);
38. Abdul Hafiz (Servant of The Preserver);
39. Abdul Muqit (Servant of The Nourisher);
40. Abdul Hasib (Servant of The Reckoner);
41. Abdul Jalil (Servant of The Majestic);
42. Abdul Karim (Servant of The Bountiful, the Generous);
43. Abdur Raqib (Servant of The Watchful);
44. Abdul Mujib (Servant of The Responsive, the Answerer);
45. Abdul Wasi' (Servant of The Vast, the All Encompassing);
46. Abdul Hakim (Servant of The Wise);
47. Abdul Wadud (Servant of The Loving, the Kind One);
48. Abdul Majid (Servant of The All Glorious);
49. Abdul Ba'ith (Servant of The Raiser of the Dead);
50. Abdush Shahid (Servant of The Witness);
51. Abdul Haqq (Servant of The Truth, the Real);
52. Abdul Wakil (Servant of The Trustee, the Dependable);
53. Abdul Qawiyy (Servant of The Strong);
54. Abdul Matin (Servant of The Firm, the Steadfast);
55. Abdul Wali (Servant of The Protecting Friend, Patron, and Helper);
56. Abdul Hamid (Servant of The All Praiseworthy);
57. Abdul Muhsi (Servant of The Accounter, the Numberer of All);
58. Abdul Mubdi' (Servant of The Producer, Originator, and Initiator of all);
59. Abdul Mu'id (Servant of The Reinstater Who Brings Back All);
60. Abdul Muhyi (Servant of The Giver of Life);
61. Abdul Mumit (Servant of The Bringer of Death, the Destroyer);
62. Abdul Hayy (Servant of The Ever Living);
63. Abdul Qayyum (Servant of The Self Subsisting Sustainer of All);
64. Abdul Waajid (Servant of The Perceiver, the Finder, the Unfailing);
65. Abdul Maajid (Servant of The Illustrious, the Magnificent);
66. Abdul Waahid (Servant of The One, the All Inclusive, the Indivisible);
67. Abdul Ahad (Servant of The Unity, The indivisible);
68. Abdus Samad (Servant of The Long, the Impregnable, the Everlasting);
69. Abdul Qaadir (Servant of The All Able);
70. Abdul Muqtadir (Servant of The All Determiner, the Dominant);
71. Abdul Muqaddim (Servant of The Expediter, He who brings forward);
72. Abdul Mu'akhkhir (Servant of The Delayer, He who puts far away);
73. Abdul Awwal (Servant of The First);
74. Abdul Aakhir (Servant of The Last);
75. Abduz Zaahir (Servant of The Manifest; the All Victorious);
76. Abdul Baatin (Servant of The Hidden, the All Encompassing);
77. Abdul Waali (Servant of The Patron);
78. Abdul Muta'al (Servant of The Self Exalted);
79. Abdul Barr (Servant of The Most Kind and Righteous);
80. Abdut Tawwaab (Servant of The Ever Returning, Ever Relenting);
81. Abdul Muntaqim (Servant of The Avenger);
82. Abd Al 'Afuww (Servant of The Pardoner, the Effacer of Sins);
83. Abdur Ra'uf (Servant of The Compassionate, the All Pitying);
84. Abdul Malik al Mulk (Servant of The Owner of All Sovereignty);
85. Abd Dhu al Jalal wa al Ikram (Servant of The Lord of Majesty and Generosity);
86. Abdul Muqsit (Servant of The Equitable, the Requiter);
87. Abdul Jaami' (Servant of The Gatherer, the Unifier);
88. Abdul Ghani (Servant of The All Rich, the Independent);
89. Abdul Mughni (Servant of The Enricher, the Emancipator);
90. Abdul Mani' (Servant of The Withholder, the Shielder, the Defender);
91. Abdud Dharr (Servant of The Distresser);
92. Abdun Nafi' (Servant of The Propitious, the Benefactor);
93. Abdun Nur (Servant of The Light);
94. Abdul Haadi (Servant of The Guide);
95. Abdul Badi (Servant of Incomparable, the Originator);
96. Abdul Baaqi (Servant of The Ever Enduring and Immutable);
97. Abdul Waarith (Servant of The Heir, the Inheritor of All);
98. Abdur Rashid (Servant of The Guide, Infallible Teacher, and Knower); and
99. Abdus Sabur (Servant of The Patient, the Timeless).

Diaspora

The Sylheti diaspora refers to the descendants of ethnic Sylhetis who emigrated out of the Sylhet Division, Bangladesh, to a certain specific countries which have had socio-economic and political ties with Sylhet. The Sylheti diaspora numbers around one million, mainly concentrated in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Australia, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Finland and the Middle East and other European Countries. A study from 2008 shows that, Britain have the largest number of Sylheti diaspora where 500,000 people speak Sylheti, which is 95% of total number of Bangladeshi people in UK^[10] According to the census of 2009 it shows the actual number is lot higher.^[11] Sylhetis in Bangladesh have conversely affected by remittances send from across the world and the community has been suffering from a serious lack of government initiatives causing development inertia.^[12] According to neo-classical theory, the poorest would move to the richest countries and those from densely populated areas would move to more sparsely peopled regions. This has clearly not been the case. The brain drain was a movement from core to core, purely on economic maximisation, while it was young Sylheti pioneers with access to financial resources that migrated from a severely overpopulated Bangladesh to the overcrowded streets of Spitalfields, poorest from all parts of Bangladesh migrated to Sylhet for a better life, causing a severe overcrowding and scarcity of resources in Sylhet.^[13]

Notables

Mohammad Ataul Karim, Scientist
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed,
Anwar Choudhury, Diplomat
Saiman Miah, Designer of London 2012 Olympic Royal Mint
Irene Khan, Former Secretary General of Amnesty International
Rushanara Ali, Member of Parliament
Khatun Sapnara, Barrister and Judge
Alaur Rahman, singer and music composer
Enam Ali, MBE, FRSA
Shelim Hussain, MBE
Iqbal Ahmed, OBE British billionaire
Wali Tasar Uddin, MBE
Ajmal Masroor, Television presenter
Tommy Miah, FRSA, Celebrity chef

References

^ Jagaran Patrika, P.16, London (1984)
^ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+10%3A22&version=KJV
^ Zia Haider Rahman, A Community Without Aspirations, The Guardian, 2 May 2007, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/may/02/yesterdaysawthepublication,
^ Claire Alexander, Joya Chaterji and Annu Jalais, The Bengal Diaspora: Rethinking Muslim Migration, p.2, Routledge (2015) London.
^ Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Rivers: Life Stories of Pioneer Sylheti Settlers in Britain, Caroline Adams, Tassaduq Ahmed and Dan Jones, THAP (1987), London, ISBN 978-0906698143
^ Mahabharata (12.181)
^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (2011). Dharma : its early history in law, religion, and narrative. Oxford University Press. pp. 529–531.ISBN 978-0-19-539423-8
^ Habib, Mohammed (1358), The Political Theory of the Delhi Sultanate
^ Asghar Ali Engineer. "On reservation for Muslims". The Milli Gazette. Pharos Media & Publishing Pvt Ltd,. Retrieved 2004-09-01
^ Benjamin Zeitlyn (September 2008). "Challenging Language in the Diaspora" (PDF). Bangla Journal. 6 (14): 126–140. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
^ Neighbourhood Statistics (2007). "Lead View Trend". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
^ Yong, T.T.; Rahman, M.M. (2013). Diaspora Engagement and Development in South Asia. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 108. ISBN 9781137334459. Retrieved 2015-08-13.
^ Anne Kershen, Strangers, Aliens and Asians – Huguenots, Jews and Bangladesh in Spitalsfields 1660-2000, p.19 (2004)

[1] Jagaran Patrika, P.16, London (1984)

[2] ttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+10%3A22&version=KJV

[3] Zia Haider Rahman, A Community Without Aspirations, The Guardian, 2 May 2007, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/may/02/yesterdaysawthepublication,

[3-4] Claire Alexander, Joya Chaterji and Annu Jalais, The Bengal Diaspora: Rethinking Muslim Migration, p.2, Routledge (2015) London.

[5] Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Rivers: Life Stories of Pioneer Sylheti Settlers in Britain, Caroline Adams, Tassaduq Ahmed and Dan Jones, THAP (1987), London, ISBN 978-0906698143

[6] Mahabharata (12.181)

[7] Hiltebeitel, Alf (2011). Dharma : its early history in law, religion, and narrative. Oxford University Press. pp. 529–531.ISBN 978-0-19-539423-8

[8] Habib, Mohammed (1358), The Political Theory of the Delhi Sultanate

[9] Asghar Ali Engineer. "On reservation for Muslims". The Milli Gazette. Pharos Media & Publishing Pvt Ltd,. Retrieved 2004-09-01

[diasporas-10] Benjamin Zeitlyn (September 2008). "Challenging Language in the Diaspora" (PDF). Bangla Journal. 6 (14): 126–140. Retrieved 2015-08-13.

[statistics-11] Neighbourhood Statistics (2007). "Lead View Trend". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-13.

[google-12] Yong, T.T.; Rahman, M.M. (2013). Diaspora Engagement and Development in South Asia. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 108. ISBN 9781137334459. Retrieved 2015-08-13.

[13] Anne Kershen, Strangers, Aliens and Asians – Huguenots, Jews and Bangladesh in Spitalsfields 1660-2000, p.19 (2004)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 The '''Sylhetis''' ([[Sylheti language|Sylheti]]: ছিলটী Silôṭi) or '''Sylheti people''' are [[Bengalis]] who speak the [[Sylheti language]] which is either considered as a dialect of [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and as a separate language. They are native to the [[Sylhet Division]] of Bangladesh, and the [[Barak Valley]], India.
-==Etymology==
-Sylhet is a derivative of As-Syriat, which in turn originated from its ancient founder – Asshur, who established a kingdom in the present-day city of Sylhet and named gave his name to the kingdom. Asshur Kingdom or Kingdom of Asshur was the ancient name of Sylhet.  King Asshur of Sylhet was the Biblical Asshur, who was the second son of Shem and grandson of Noah.  King Asshur voyaged from the ancient Kingdom of Assyria of Mesopotamia to the ancient port of Sylhet where he founded the Kingdom of As-syriat. King Asshur of Sylhet was different from King Asura of Maheshwar mentioned in Hindu mythology and epics.  In the medieval period, the prefix of ‘As’ was omitted and the Kingdom came to be known as Kingdom of Syriat or Syriat Rajya.  By the end of the medieval epoch, the name of Syriat Rajya underwent a series of modification from Syriat to Sirihat and Srihat’ta. In eighteenth century, the British administration anglicised the spelling to Sylhet.<ref>History of Sylhet, Syed Mortuja Ali</ref>
 ==Sylhetology==