Islam in Punjab, India

Islam is a minority religion in Punjab, India followed by about 1.6% of the total population. Islam has a strong historical presence in Punjab with many mosques, mausoleums and shrines. However, the population of Muslims came down drastically after the Partition of India when most Muslims migrated to Pakistan and many of those who remained were killed in the riots that followed. Following the violence, most Muslims left.

Islam first arrived in the Punjab following the conquest of Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712. The first permanent Muslim conquest of the Punjab was carried out by Mahmud Ghaznavi who made the whole of the Punjab a province of his empire with the headquarters at Lahore. When the Ghaznavid Empire began to decline, the region was conquered by Muhammad Ghori. The conquest by Muhammad Ghori inaugurated a period of Muslim rule which lasted until the 18th century. The Mughals made most of East Punjab a part of the governorate of Sirhind.

At the time of the independence of India, Muslims were in a majority in the districts of Amritsar, Ferozepore, Gurdaspur and Jalandhar. Today, Muslims are scattered all around Punjab with concentrations in the cities of Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Maler Kotla and Qadian. Maler Kotla is the only municipality in Indian Punjab that has a Muslim majority.[1]