Meo (ethnic group)
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India | |
| Languages | |
| Mewati • Haryanvi | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Cheetah • Merat • Qaimkhani • Sindhi-Sipahi • Deshwali • Khanzada• Ranghar•Ahir |
Meo (pronounced May-o & Mev) (also called Mewati) is a Muslim community from North-Western India, particularly in and around Mewat that includes Mewat district of Haryana and parts of adjacent Alwar and Bharatpur districts in Rajasthan. Meos speak Mewati, a language of the Indo-Aryan language family.
Meos are inhabitants of Mewat, a region that consists of Mewat district of Haryana and some parts of adjoining Alwar and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh, where the Meos have lived for a millennium. According to one theory, they were Hindu Rajputs who converted to Islam between 12th and 17th century, until as late as Aurangzeb's rule but they have maintained their age-old distinctive cultural identity until today. According to S. L. Sharma and R. N. Srivastava, Mughal persecution had little effect of strengthening their Islamic identity, but it reinforced their resistance to Mughal rule. They have shared this region with a number of other Muslim Rajput communities, such as Khanzada, Qaimkhani and Malkana.
Meo profess the beliefs of Islam but the roots of their ethnic structure are in Hindu caste society. The neighbouring Hindu Jats, Minas, Ahirs and Rajputs share the same mores. According to some sources, the Meo community may have a common origin with the Meena community.
Hindu inhabitants of Mewat, although belonging to the same Kshatriya castes to which the Meos belonged before conversion to Islam, are not called Meo. Thus the word "Meo" is both region-specific and religion-specific. Apparently, Meos come from many Hindu clans who converted to Islam and amalgamated as Meo community.
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