Definition
Originating from India, Khojas were initially converted from Hinduism to the Ismā‘īlī branch of Islam. Later communal fighting split this group even further. Known for their sense of discipline and organization, the diverse Khoja groups are now well established throughout the world.
The Early Khojas
Khojas trace their ancestry to India, more specifically to Sind, Punjab, Gujarat, and Kutch, where their ancestors were converted to Islam in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. A Persian Ismā‘īlī dā‘ī (proselyte), Pir Ṣadr al-Dīn (Sadardin; d. 1369 or 1416) is credited with the mass conversion of the Khojas from the Lohanas, a Hindu caste living predominantly in the Gujarat province in India.
Before their conversion, the Khojas reportedly formed the Lohana community, having descended from the mythic Indian king, Rāma’s son, Lav. Due to this, they were known as thakkar, which is also a phonetic corruption of the Indian title thakor(lord, master). The word is a close Indian...
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Takim, L. (2018). Khojas. In: Kassam, Z.R., Greenberg, Y.K., Bagli, J. (eds) Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_838
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