a thread on why or how "kameeni/kameena" are casteist slurs (tw : mentions of casteist slurs)

In the 13th century, Brahmins used to call Islamic missionaries "Syeds". The Arabic meaning of Syed is the noble one, Syeds propagated Islam and they were considered a clan of descendants of Hussain (sometimes called sayeds or sayyids, no particular literal proof exists tho).

Followers and people who accepted the teachings from Syeds were called "Mlecchas" by Brahmins. This sanskrit term is derogatory and means "an outsider" or a "non-vedic barbarian". It was used to mock followers of islam, since Brahmins consider every outsider a non-Aryan.

After the rise of the Mughal Dynasty in india, the muslim community was split into casteist groups. Simply put, Aseels and Syeds were the upper castes, and Kameens were lower castes.

Kameens, just like Dalits, were forced to take up lowly jobs or to serve higher castes. It is also believed that Kameens were sometimes Shudras and Dalits who accepted Islam. Kameens were also exploited through the Jajmani system.

Jajmani system split rural Muslim communities into Jajmans amd Kameens/Kamins. Jajmans or Yajmans higher caste land owners. The Jajmani system has also existed in Sri Lanka. Kameens under this system were often used as menial agricultural labour since they had no heredital land.

This system which isolated lower caste Muslims survived even after independence, it still exist in Kashmir. Often Syeds, who still consider themselves as custodians of Islam, have been observed to dominate employement.

Thats being said, the reality behind the slur is very casteist, which thrives today on the oppression of Muslim lower castes. So everytime it is used, we're participating in as oppressors ourself.