Muslim Dhobi
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| • Pakistan • India • Nepal | |
| Languages | |
| • Urdu • Hindi • Gujarati • Punjabi • Seraiki | |
| Religion | |
•  Islam 100% • |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| • Dhobi • Muslim Teli • Shaikh some people is using DURRANI surname |
The Muslim Dhobi are a Muslim community that is traditionally involved in washing clothes in South Asia. They are considered to be Muslim converts from the Hindu Dhobi caste, and are found in North India and Pakistan. The community is also known as Charhoa and Gazar in Pakistan and Hawari in India.
In India, they continue to depend on their traditional occupation of washing clothes. The more enterprising elements within the group have set up dry cleaning businesses. Many in rural areas are tenant farmers. The community are distributed throughout North India and South India, with concentrations in Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.Also in south Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh they found. Although they live in multi-caste and multi-religious villages, they occupy distinct quarters in towns and villages. A Dhobi settlement in often referred to as a dhobighat. Each of their settlement contains a traditional caste council, which resolves disputes within the community, and deals with issues such as elopement, theft and adultery. Like other Muslim artisan castes, they have set a caste association, the All-India Jamiat al-Hawareen, which acts as a pressure group for the community.
The Dhobi community also live in Bakar Gunj, old city Kila and C.B. Gunj. The Nagar Nigam Corprator Noor Jahan Begum without Israr Ahmad.
The Dhobi are an endogamous community, marrying among themselves, or occasionally with members of other artisan castes such as the Hajjam. The Dhobi are largely Sunni Muslim, and are fairly orthodox, although a small minority in Haryana are Shia. In North India, the Dhobi community are Urdu speaking, as well as speaking various local dialects such as Khari Boli and Awadhi. The Dhobi consist of a number of endogamous sub-groups, called biradaris. Marriages tend to take place within the biradaris, and theoractical all those within the biradari descend from a common ancestor. Important biradaris include the Chhonkar, Sarohe and Ujjania in western Uttar Pradesh, Mathuria, Bahraichia and Delhiwala or Dilliwal in Awadh. The Dilliwal now form a distinct group from other Dhobis, with virtually no intermarriage now taking place between them and other Dhobis.
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