Sikligar (Muslim traditions) in India

People Name:	Sikligar (Muslim traditions)
Country:	India
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	54,000
World Population:	70,300
Primary Language:	Urdu
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	0.00 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Complete Bible
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	South Asia Muslim - other
Affinity Bloc:	South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The word Saiqai, which is related to their name, means a "polisher." Sikligars say they were once Rajputs.
Sikligar people are weapon polishers by tradition. This profession was ended by a combination of mass production and government distrust of weapons makers.
There are separate Sikligar communities based on their religion: Hinduism, Sikhism or Islam. The Muslims among them live in various parts of India, but also in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They work as blacksmiths and sharpen knives, scissors and other metal goods for a living. They often live as nomads, roaming from village to village seeking customers. Often their children work with parents in their craft.
They marry within their own Muslim community. Families and clans are important just as they are for other rural South Asian communities.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Sunni Muslims believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.
The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.
Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.

What Are Their Needs?

Muslim Sikligars need to learn new job skills so they can compete in the rapidly changing Indian economy.

Prayer Points

Pray for spiritual hunger and discernment that will lead these Muslims to follow the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Pray that God will give them dreams and visions leading them to Jesus Christ.
Pray that Indian Christians will lead them into a disciple making movement.