Friday, May 7, 2010

Even after centuries of living in India, these Muslims consider themselves Arab, not Indian

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Such Jihadi localities are ticking time-bombs and cancerous lesions that will eventually turn India into a Saudi Arabia

http://living.oneindia.in/cosmopolitan/cosmo-life/2010/barkas-street-mini-arabia-hyderabad-010410.html

Barkas Street, A Mini Arabia In Hyderabad

Thursday, April 1, 2010


Barkas Street, located in Hyderabad is a hub of Arab culture, music and cuisine.

It was a colony of the former employees of Nizams, the sovereigns of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad. As they were surrounded by hostile rulers in the Deccan, Nizams trusted the tall and strongly built Arabs. Arabs had been mostly recruited in their personal army. Their numbers grew and the Arabs were settled in barracks on the outskirts of the walled, gated city.

The name 'Barkas' is derived from the word 'Wadiya Barkas', which is a colony in Saudi Arabia. A regiment from Barkas in Arabia had been called to Hyderabad. So most of the residents of this colony are the original inhabitants of Yemen and Arabia. A male member from each family is currently working in the Gulf countries.

In this mini Arabia, where the current population is more than 1.5 lakh, the guests are welcomed with dates and qahwah (Arabian coffee). The roofs of the houses are decorated with the beautifully calligraphed verses, or Quranic Ayaats as they call.

One can savour Iranian dishes like Haleem (meat cooked with crushed wheat and spices) and Biryani (rice cooked with chicken) in any places in Hyderabad. But the sweet version of Haleem, known by the name Harees, is only available at Barkas.

At dawn, people from far-flung corners of the city and beyond flock to Barkas, to enjoy the piping hot delicacies at select restaurants.

Egyptian singer Amar Deyab and Lebanese lyricist Nancy Agram are quite popular among the residents.

Even in death, the exclusivity continues. The non-resident Muslims in Barkas are not allowed to find a resting place here.

"With God's grace, since the colony came into existence and till it exists, we will follow Arab culture," says Ali Bin Abdul Rehman, a resident of the colony.

In Arab countries, the youth of Hyderabad Barkas are obsessed with soccer. Hence the colony's link with the Arab world is not merely with the language and culture but through sports as well.


Reader Comment:

Not just Arabs. There are also tens of thousands of foreign African Muslims - all recent arrivals - living in Hyderabad. No one understands why they are there. Most of them are from west African nations like Nigeria. They are not students. They are not employed. No one knows what they do. Some of them claim that they are students of Islam. But its difficult to believe that a 40 year old is a student. Well - in India, that too in Hyderabad? And they came from some African country to study? Study what ?

They are so many of them in the old city that one could get an impression that you are in some other country like Morocco or Nigeria.

It is important that these guys are screened for national security.

No one should be allowed to mess with India.

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