the indian muslims are those who trace their origins to immigrants searching for business opportunities during the colonial period. some of these people came to the country as far back as portuguese times; others arrived during the british period from various parts of india. the majority of them came from tamil nadu and kerala states, and unlike the sri lankan moors, are ethnically related to south indians and number approximately 30,000. the memon, originally from sindh (in modern pakistan), first arrived in 1870; in the 1980s they numbered only about 15,000, they mostly follow the hanafi sunni school of islam.