Paper short abstract:

Goan Muslims, or Moir, have witnessed political and social changes in Goa by Hindu and Catholic rules since the 8th century. In the 1990s, the emergence of "outsider" Muslims created a division between “us” and “them” and struggles between belongingness and ethnicity have been faced in the society

Paper long abstract:

Islam in India can be distinctive in each context, rather than conforming to a singular Middle Eastern tradition. As Talal Assad (2009) has shown, anthropologists must account for this diversity when studying Islamic practices and beliefs. Gabriele Marranci (2008) also sustained that Muslim societies cannot be viewed as monolithic cultural expressions. Muslims have been present in Goa since the 8th century, when they settled in various areas and contributed to commerce, transforming Goa into a significant port city, and improving the Indian Spice route. The majority of these settlers were Arabs, Persians, and Turks. While the Mughal empire climated Sufism to the Indian context, things changed dramatically in Goa with the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Goan Muslims had to adapt to Hinduism and Christianity because of the Inquisition, Proscription, and the Portuguese incorporation of New Conquests. As a result of this incorporation, Goan Muslims were labelled as mouro in India like those in the Iberian Peninsula, and subsequently were called moir, in Konkani, the local language."

Goan Muslims, or Moir, still live in the state today, attempting to maintain their traditions despite facing numerous challenges, dominantly due to internal migration throughout the subcontinent. As a consequence, social movements against citizens from other states have emerged, leading to a new form of Islamic practice in Goa. The Moir have self-defined by categorising outsiders as musalmans, a struggle to determine who belongs to the lands of Goa and what it means to be Goan.