It is not a hidden fact that a great number of Indian Muslims are convert from the communities and castes found in the South Asia and many of them still have some customs and traditions of their caste from which they converted to Islam and on this very basis the RSS and its offshoot organizations are working to reconvert them to Hinduism. Among such castes are Muslims of Sapera Caste.
Origin
The Muslims of Sapera caste are found in Bihar and they are also known as Mastan and Ustad. It is said that the Muslim Sapera are the Muslims from the Hindu Sapera (snake-charmer) caste, who liked Islam and embraced it. Their traditional occupation is snake charming and they are one of a number of nomadic peoples in North America, who are supposed to be the ancestors of the Romani community in Europe. The dialect of the language the Muslims of Sapera caste speak is a mixture of Urdu, Hindi and Maithili.
Present Circumstances
We can find the Muslims of Sapera Caste in the districts of Saharsa, Champaran, Sitamarhi and Purnea. They are divided into two groups namely Iraqi and Irani. They practice endogamy and there is n intermarriage between them. Although, traditionally a community of snake charmers, most of the Muslims of Sapera caste nowadays are wage laborers and are one of the most disadvantaged groups among the Muslims from Bihar. Despite being Muslims, most of the Sapera Muslims worship a tribal deity known as Bisahari.
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