Mass conversion of lower castes made Muslims majority in Punjab by 1941

Evidence

Here Ambedkar is referring to the polemics used by the Vedic missionaries of the Arya Samaj to counter the influence of Muslim and Christian preachers and missionaries—adopting their established practices of preaching at religious fairs, challenging missionaries in pamphlets and on the streets. The rise of the Arya Samaj owed much to the demographic shifts that characterised the history of the Punjab due to its proximity to Central Asia and the predominance of Sikh and Muslim rulers. In the nineteenth century, British rule added to this list, and the conversions of the oppressed castes in large numbers to Islam and Christianity exacerbated the situation. See Jones (2006, 139–45). According to Gopal Krishan (2004, 77–89), in 1881, the Hindus constituted 43.8 per cent of the population, the Sikhs 8.2 per cent and Christians 0.1 per cent. The Muslims, at 47.6 per cent, were well short of an absolute majority. But by 1941, the Muslims were in absolute majority in the Punjab accounting for 53.2 per cent of the total population. The Hindus made 29.1 per cent of the total, the Sikhs 14.9 per cent, Christians 1.9 per cent and others 1.3 per cent. The erosion in the percentage share of the Hindus was caused by the conversion of many Hindus—especially the ‘lower castes’, such as Chuhras, Chamars, Jhiwars and Malis—to Islam, Sikhism and Christianity. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1093

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s broader study of caste annihilation and Ambedkar’s conversion arguments; the Punjabi demographic shift is a causal driver of the Arya Samaj shuddhi movement and of Ambedkar’s own eventual embrace of conversion.
• SEED: The Punjab 1881-1941 demographic shift is a concrete quantified case of mass lower-caste conversion reshaping religious majorities—usable as an essay anchor on conversion as caste escape.