3 - Deconstructing Hindustani Qassab: The Politics of the All India Jamiat ul Quriash in Colonial India

The first quarter of the twentieth century witnessed the emergence of numerous social and political organizations led by Muslim Peshawar biradaris (occupational castes). Among the most prominent were the Qassabs, who spearheaded the All India Jamiat ul Quraish (AIJQ). Founded in Delhi in 1926, the AIJQ comprised members of the Qassab community, who claimed to represent the interests of meat, hides, and skins traders and merchants from across the country. The Jamiat utilized the figure of the butcher to promote a politics of reform within the Qassab community and to challenge the stigmatized identity associated with their group. This paper examines the various efforts of the AIJQ, tracing its social and political activities aimed at advancing the cause of the Qassab community. The analysis includes discourses found in Urdu historical writings published by the leaders of the AIJQ and describes the political alignments of the organization within the broader context of nationalism during the 1930s and 1940s, the decades leading up to the Partition of India.