Editing African diaspora (section)

====Siddi people====
The '''Siddi''' ({{IPA|hns|sɪd̪d̪i|pron}}), also known as the '''Sheedi''', '''Sidi''', '''Siddhi''', or '''Habshi''', are an ethnic group inhabiting [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]. Members are mostly descended from the [[Bantu peoples]] of [[Southeast Africa]], along with [[Habesha]] immigrants. Some were merchants, sailors, [[indentured servitude|indentured servants]], slaves and mercenaries.<ref name="Shah">{{cite journal|last=Shah|first=Anish M.|title=Indian Siddis: African Descendants with Indian Admixture|journal=American Journal of Human Genetics|date=July 15, 2011|volume=89|issue=1|pages=154–161|doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2011.05.030|display-authors=etal|pmid=21741027|pmc=3135801}}</ref> The Siddi population is currently estimated at 850,000 individuals, with [[Karnataka]], [[Gujarat]] and [[Telangana]] states in India and [[Makran]] and [[Karachi]] in Pakistan<ref name=":0" /> as the main population centres.<ref name="singhlal2003">{{Citation | title=Gujarat | author=Kumar Suresh Singh, Rajendra Behari Lal | year=2003 | publisher=Anthropological Survey of India (Popular Prakashan) | isbn=978-81-7991-106-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IWrTs5yt1DkC | quote=At present the Siddis are living in the western coast of Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka states the prominent black Indian known is Reme. Their main concentration is in Junagadh district of Rajkot division. They are a [[scheduled tribe]]. According to the 1981 census, the population of the Siddi tribe is 54,291. The Siddi speak Gujarati language within their kin circle as well as with the outsiders. Gujarati script is used...}}</ref> Siddis are primarily Muslims, although some are [[Hindus]] and others belong to the [[Catholic Church]].<ref name="ali1996j">{{Citation | title=The African dispersal in the Deccan | author=Shanti Sadiq Ali | year=1996 | publisher=Orient Blackswan | isbn=978-81-250-0485-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-3CPc22nMqIC | quote=Among the Siddi families in Karnataka there are Catholics, Hindus and Muslims... It was a normal procedure for the Portuguese to baptise African slaves ... After living for generations among Hindus they considered themselves to be Hindus.... The Siddi Hindus owe allegiance to Saudmath ...}}</ref>

Although often economically and socially marginalised as a community today, Siddis once [[List of rulers of Bengal#Habshi rule (1487–1494)|ruled Bengal]] as the [[Bengal Sultanate#List of dynasties|Habshi dynasty]] of the [[Bengal Sultanate]], while the famous Siddi, [[Malik Ambar]], effectively controlled the [[Ahmadnagar Sultanate]]. He played a major role, politically and militarily, in Indian history by slowing down  the penetration of the  Delhi-based [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]] into the [[Deccan Plateau]] of South central India.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roychowdhury |first1=Adrija |title=African rulers of India: That part of our history we choose to forget |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/african-rulers-of-india-that-part-of-our-history-we-choose-to-forget/ |access-date=September 10, 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728090645/https://indianexpress.com/article/research/african-rulers-of-india-that-part-of-our-history-we-choose-to-forget/ |archive-date=July 28, 2021 |location=New Delhi |language=en}}</ref>