Khoja in the context of "Al-Lawatia"

The so-called 'Karana or Karane' are a generally Muslim racial group in Madagascar with a long history on the island. A large proportion of them arrived on the north-west port of Mahajanga in the early 1880s.

The Malagasy term Karana mainly refers to Khoja (a Muslim tribe which was once based on the Indian subcontinent) families on the island who control the economic affairs of the country due to their good business acumen. The term does, however, sometimes include Indian and occasionally even Pakistani (extremely few in number) families though the Khoja make up the sizeable majority. Though they have contributed greatly to the nation's development, unlike their counterparts, the Al-Lawatia in Oman, they do not enjoy the same level of acceptance and freedom with kidnappings rife and a lack of acceptance into the institution both politically and otherwise.

Indian Moors were a grouping of people who existed in Sri Lanka predominantly during its colonial period. They were distinguished by their Muslim faith whose origins traced back to the British Raj. Therefore, Indian Moors refer to a number of ethnic groups such as Memons, Bohra and Khoja. These groups tended to retain their own ancestral practices and language. However the largest specific group were Tamils from South India.

Indian Moors shared a similar history to Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka, however due to their decline and smaller numbers the Indian Moors have either returned to India or have declared themselves as being classified as Sri Lankan Moors.