The Assam Cabinet has approved the identification of five Assamese Muslim sub-groups — Goriya, Moriya, Julha, Deshi, and Syed — as indigenous Assamese Muslim communities.
- This decision effectively sets them apart from Bengali-speaking Muslims, who — or whose ancestors — had migrated at various points of time the region that was once East Bengal, and later became East Pakistan and now Bangladesh.
- The indigenous Muslim communities comprise the Assamese Muslims, who speak Assamese as their mother tongue, and who trace their ancestries in Assam back to the Ahom kingdom (1228-1826).
Indigenous Assamese Muslim communities
- Deshis trace their lineage to Ali Mech, a Koch-Rajbongshi chieftain who converted to Islam during the invasion of Bakhtiyar Khilji around 1205 AD.
- Syeds are sufi preachers settled in Assam at various times, the earliest by some accounts being Syed Badiuddin Shah Mada (Madan Pir) in 1497.
- Goriya: In a series of attempted invasions by the Mughals between 1615 and 1682, the Ahom regime took several soldiers prisoner. Many of these belonged to Gaur in ancient Bengal, and hence got the name Goriya.
- Moriya: These too descendants of prisoners of war, captured by the Ahoms after an attempted invasion by Turbak Khan in the 16th century.
- Julha: These are small community, originally from undivided Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal, and believed to be converts from Adivasis.
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