Mumbai: In June 2025, when Zohran Mamdani, who is now New York City's mayor, won the Democratic Party's primary contest against Andrew Cuomo, the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri diaspora of which Mamdani is a member, created a 'Khojas for Zohran' social campaign to root for him.
Khojas in Mumbai, who were part of the campaign group, are celebrating Mamdani's win, not just because they had endorsed him but also because his family has an association with the city. Mamdani's father, Mahmood Mamdani, was born in Mumbai, where the family had migrated from Hadiyana in Gujarat's Kathiawar region. According to the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat, Mumbai, Mamdani's great grandfather, Mulla Kermalli Alibhai Ratansi, who passed away in 1958, served as the president of the Dar es Salaam branch of the association between 1950 and 1952. Ratansi migrated to East Africa at the age of 16 and built a successful business and later led philanthropic projects. One of his children, Yusuf, was Zohran's grandfather, according to the community.
As a predominantly trading and business community, Khojas are reluctant to align themselves to any political movements. Mamdani's win, therefore, has been received with low-key reactions. "We are a quiet community. We believe in humanity and in ideas that were part of Mamdani's campaign, such as immigrant's rights, affordable rents, fare-free commuting, and public child care," said Ali Akbar Shroff, president of the Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat, Mumbai.
The Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheris - the long name distinguishes them from larger groups from which they had split after theological disputes - trace their origin to conversion of Hindus in Sindh, Gujarat and Punjab to Islam from the 11th century onwards. The group had its beginnings in the Satpanth Ismaili tradition, with earlier connections to the Swaminarayan Hindu sect. Under the influence of a succession of religious leaders called Pirs and Dais, including Pir Sadardin, they evolved into the contemporary group. The term Khoja is derived from the Persian word 'Khwajeh', which means noble. They consider themselves as descendants of the Lohana caste. Shroff pointed out that his grandfather carried the name, Madhavji Hirji. After a series of ideological disputes, splits and court cases later, the community emerged as the ‘Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri' in the late nineteenth century.
Haji Parekh, a member of the Jamaat, stated that they follow a democratic process to elect their Jamat, the administrative body that holds regular elections to elect its leaders. The Mumbai unit of the Jamaat was established in A D 1896-97 and registered in 1901. The group started elections the same year.
The Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri are estimated to number around 125,000 worldwide, of which 30,000 live in India. Members of the sect reached Mumbai in the late nineteenth century. The community’s first mosque in Mumbai was built in 1901. The population in Mumbai is estimated to be between 18,000 and 20,000. One of the more famous Khojas is Mohamed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
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