Baloch people in the United Arab Emirates

Baloch people in the United Arab Emirates
Total population
(468,000 (2014)[1]
5.08% of the UAE's population (2014))
Regions with significant populations
Dubai · Abu Dhabi · Sharjah
Languages
Balochi · Arabic
Urdu, Persian, Sindhi and Saraiki widely spoken as second/third languages
Religion
Islam

Baloch people in the United Arab Emirates comprise citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) whose ancestral roots lie in Balochistan. The Baloch are one of the oldest migrant groups in the country.[2] The total population of the community is up to 468,000.[1]

History

Outside Balochistan, the largest Baloch diaspora communities reside in the Persian Gulf region, particularly Oman and the UAE.[3] Many of the Baloch have been settled in the region before the formation of Pakistan and the UAE,[2] forming part of the local Bedoon community.[4] The Balochistan region lies on the Iranian plateau, located across the Persian Gulf. Due to the proximity between both regions, Baloch settlers have been in contact with the Persian Gulf since centuries. The Baloch are mentioned in Arabic chronicles dating back to the 10th century.[3] The majority of Baloch migrants originate from the southern Makran coast.[5]

Demographics

The number of Baloch in the UAE is estimated to be anywhere from 215,000 to 468,000.[6][1] The population has grown since 2006 when it was around 100,000.[5] A number of Baloch serve in the UAE's armed forces.[7]

The Baloch are divided into numerous tribes.[3] These tribal networks extend into typically large connected families. One Baloch-Emirati man, Daad Mohammed Al Balushi, has 93 children and ranks among the world's list of people with the most children.[8][9]

Culture

The Baloch speak Balochi. The Gulf dialect of Arabic is also natively spoken by those who have been settled in the region for generations. Urdu and Persian are common second or third languages. Other languages spoken among the Baloch, mainly those originating from adjacent regions in Pakistan, are Sindhi and Saraiki.[6] A Balochi literary society under the name Balochi Labzanki Sarchammag is active in the UAE.[3] In Balochi folklore, the Gulf is frequently referenced as a land of opportunities and employment. Poetry, lullabies or songs sung by women at weddings for instance contain references to the economic prosperity offered in Dubai.[3] The surname Al Balushi denotes Baloch ancestry and is widely used among the local Baloch.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Balochi, Southern". Ethnologue. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Information desk for Pak Baloch community". Khaleej Times. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Etheredge, Laura (2011). Persian Gulf States: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 66. ISBN 9781615303274.
  4. ↑ "Bidoon celebrate UAE National Day as Emiratis". The National. 24 November 2013. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 Hoath, Nissar (25 April 2006). "Sharjah-Balochistan flights to start in May". Gulf News. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  6. 1 2 Carina, Jahani (1989). Standardization and Orthography in the Balochi Language. Almqvist & Wiksell International. ISBN 9789155424879.
  7. ↑ Jahani, Carina (2003). The Baloch and their neighbours: ethnic and linguistic contact in Balochistan in historical and modern times. Reichert. ISBN 9783895003660.
  8. ↑ "'Big Daad' with 93 kids plans to marry again". Emirates 24/7. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Hoath, Nissar (24 May 2011). "Daddy Cool!". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  10. ↑ Hawker, Ron (2015). "A Beginner's Guide to Tribes in the UAE". Digital Heritage in the UAE. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016. Some tribes trace roots to other ethnic groups. Among the most important of these are the Baluch (or in Arabic, the Al Balooshi). Their ancestors came from the Baluchistan district split between Iran and Pakistan in the late 19th century.
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