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{{Short description|Indian public figure}}

{{Infobox person
| name = Najeeb Muhammad
| native_name = നജീബ് മുഹമ്മദ്
| image = Najeeb Muhammad.png
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1970}}
| birth_place = [[Arattupuzha]], [[Alappuzha district]], [[Kerala]], India
| citizenship = Indian
| occupation = [[Fisherman]], civil icon, former migrant labourer.
| known_for = Real-life subject of ''[[Aadujeevitham]]'', ''[[The Goat Life]]''
| spouse = Sabiyath
| children = 2 (Safeer and Safeena)
| awards = ECI SVEEP Icon (2024)
}}

'''Najeeb Muhammad''' (born c. 1970) is an Indian public figure from Kerala. He gained international recognition as the real-life subject of Malayalam novel ''[[Aadujeevitham]]'' (2008) and its 2024 film adaptation ''[[The Goat Life]]''. His ordeal as an enslaved laborer in the [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabian]] desert has become a prominent narrative in the discourse on migrant labor rights and the [[Kafala system]] in the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] region. In 2024, he was designated as a district-level icon by the Election Commission of India for the Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program in [[Alappuzha district]].<ref name="toi2024">{{cite news |title=Witness the real-life Najeeb's journey from tragedy to triumph |newspaper=The Times of India |date=28 March 2024 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/witness-the-real-life-najeebs-journey-from-tragedy-to-triumph/articleshow/108843268.cms}}</ref><ref name="nie2024">{{cite news |title=Aadujeevitham real-life hero Najeeb named SVEEP icon in Alappuzha |newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]] |date=26 March 2024 |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2024/Mar/29/real-life-hero-of-aadujeevithamis-now-an-election-icon-in-kerala}}</ref>

== Early life and migration ==
Najeeb Muhammad was born in [[Arattupuzha]], a coastal village in the [[Alappuzha district]] of [[Kerala]]. Before migrating, he worked as a sand miner in the Arattupuzha river.<ref name="express2024">{{cite news |last=Express News Service |date=26 March 2024 |title=Who is Najeeb Muhammad, the man on whom Blessy, Prithviraj's Aadujeevitham – The Goat Life is based? |newspaper=The Indian Express |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/who-is-najeeb-muhammad-the-man-on-whom-blessy-prithviraj-aadujeevitham-the-goat-life-is-based-9234169/}}</ref> In 1992, seeking a better livelihood to support his family and his then-pregnant wife Sabiyath, he sought employment in Saudi Arabia.<ref name="express2024" /><ref name="tnm2018">{{cite news |title=From Saudi slave to inspiration: Meet Najeeb, the real life hero of 'Aadujeevitham' |newspaper=The News Minute |date=2018 |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/features/saudi-slave-inspiration-meet-najeeb-real-life-hero-aadujeevitham-74701}}</ref>

== Enslavement and escape (1992–1995) ==
Upon his arrival at [[King Khalid International Airport]] in Riyadh in April 1992, Muhammad was intercepted by an individual posing as his employer (''kafeel''). He was transported to a remote location in the desert and forced into enslaved labor as a [[goatherd]].<ref name="express2024" />

For the next three and a half years, Muhammad was subjected to extreme isolation and physical abuse. He was forced to tend to hundreds of [[Goat|goats]] with minimal food primarily stale [[khubz]] softened with goat's milk—and was denied access to [[Hygiene|basic hygiene]], including water for bathing.<ref name="toi2024" /> His experiences under the [[Kafala system]] have since been cited in academic studies analyzing the sociological and psychological impacts of the sponsorship system on [[South Asia|South Asian]] migrants.<ref name="shihada2016">{{cite journal |last=Shihada |first=Isam |year=2016 |title=Kafala System and its impact on Migrant Laborers in Benyamin Daniel's Goat Days |journal=An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities) |volume=30 |issue=10 |pages=2087–2106 |doi=10.35552/0247-030-010-007}}</ref>

In 1995, Muhammad managed to escape the farm during the temporary absence of his captor. After wandering through the desert for over a day, he reached a highway and was eventually assisted by a traveler who drove him to [[Riyadh]]. Following a period of incarceration at Sumesi [[Prison]] (Inmate No. 13858), he was [[Deportation|deported]] to [[India]] on August 13, 1995.<ref name="express2024" />

== Later life and civil role ==
After returning to [[Kerala]], Muhammad initially resumed manual labor. In 1997, he migrated again, this time to Bahrain, where he was given a free visa by his brother-in-law and worked in a scrap material company for over two decades.<ref name="express2024" /><ref name="nie2023">{{cite news |last=Paul |first=Biju E |date=1 December 2023 |title=Aadujeevitham to hit screens on April 10; real-life hero elated |newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]] |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2023/Dec/01/aadujeevitham-to-hit-screens-on-april-10-real-life-hero-elated-2637641.html}}</ref> He left the job in 2021 during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and returned to his native village, [[Arattupuzha]], where he started employment as a fisherman.<ref name="nie2023" /> In 2024, following the release of the film adaptation of his story, actor [[Prithviraj Sukumaran]] met with Muhammad, engaging in a conversation about his experiences.<ref name="express2024b">{{cite news |title=Aadujeevitham actor Prithviraj finally meets 'god's chosen one' Najeeb; asks him, 'Will you ever revisit that place?' |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |date=29 March 2024 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/aadujeevitham-actor-prithviraj-finally-meets-gods-chosen-one-najeeb-9246820/}}</ref><ref name="express2024" />

== Representation in media ==
Muhammad's life story is the primary inspiration for:
* ''[[Aadujeevitham]]'' (2008): A bestselling Malayalam novel by [[Benyamin (writer)|Benyamin]]. The novel won the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel]] and has been translated into over 30 languages, including the [[English language|English]] version titled ''Goat Days'' (2012). It is widely studied in Indian and international universities as a seminal work of migrant literature.<ref name="shihada2016" /><ref name="express2024" />
* ''[[The Goat Life]]'' (2024): A survival drama film directed by [[Blessy]], featuring [[Prithviraj Sukumaran]] as Najeeb Muhammad. The film's release triggered global interest in Muhammad's story, with international publications like ''[[Newlines Magazine]]'' analyzing his experience within the broader context of Gulf labor systems.<ref name="newlines2024">{{cite news |title=A Film About a Goatherding Indian Migrant Sparks a Gulf Controversy |magazine=[[Newlines Magazine]] |date=10 April 2024 |url=https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/a-film-about-a-goatherding-indian-migrant-sparks-a-gulf-controversy/}}</ref><ref name="hrw2024">{{cite news |title=Movie Based on Migrant Worker's Life Faces Backlash in Saudi Arabia |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |date=3 September 2024 |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/03/movie-based-migrant-workers-life-faces-backlash-saudi-arabia}}</ref>

Muhammad's narrative has been cited by rights groups highlighting the conditions of migrant workers in the region.<ref name="toi2024" /><ref name="nie2024" />

== See also ==

* [[Kafala system]]

* [[Migrant workers in the Gulf Cooperation Council region]]

* [[Human rights in Saudi Arabia]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://www.eci.gov.in/ Election Commission of India]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad, Najeeb}}

[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Indian expatriates in Bahrain]]
[[Category:People from Alappuzha district]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhammad, Najeeb}}

Najeeb Muhammad - Revision history

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