Elegant saris and dapper suits. Fashion shows and cricket clubs. Art, theatre, music and quiz competitions. These are not images that most ...
Elegant saris and dapper suits. Fashion shows and cricket clubs. Art, theatre, music and quiz competitions. These are not images that most people associate with Muslims, certainly not in an Islamophobic world or an increasingly Hindutva country.
But two niche Instagram pages have been puncturing the stereotype of the religious, regressive Muslim by celebrating rich sub-cultures within India’s Dawoodi Bohra sect of Shia Muslims.
Bohras of Calcutta and Stories of Surti Bohras feature glimpses into the lives, achievements and personal histories of Dawoodi Bohras from Kolkata and Surat, including diaspora groups now settled across the world. The posts are a mix of old and new family photographs, carefully archived news clippings, advertisements, and other memorabilia, and profiles of ordinary – and interesting – community members.
