Khoja (community)

The Khoja are a tribe or caste of Muslims mainly members of the Nizari Ismaʿiliyyah sect of Islam with a minority of followers of Shia Islam originating the western Indian subcontinent, and converted to Islam from Hinduism by the 14th century by the Persian pīr (religious leader or teacher) Saḍr-al-Dīn. In India, most Khojas live in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the city of Hyderabad. In Pakistan, most Khoja live in Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta in Sindh province, and in Gwadar in Balochistan province. In Oman a large portion of them live in Muscat where they are known as the Lawatia. Across Africa and especially in East Africa, the Khoja have historically dominated business in various fields however many of these families migrated to Europe in the colonial era or immediately afterwards. In Madagascar the Khoja are known by the honorific Karana title and are now concentrated in the capital. The Khoja originally observed Hinduism and then became adherents of Nizari Isma'ilism. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in the aftermath of the Aga Khan Case a small minority separated and adopted Sunni Islam and Twelver Shi'ia Islam, while the majority remained Nizari Isma'ili.