The Mansoori are Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat in India. They are part of the larger Pinjara community which is found throughout North India.

The community consists of local converts, and have been involved in the traditional occupation of cotton ginning. Historically, they were known as the Pinjara, a name still used by the community in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, but no longer in Gujarat. They speak Gujarati and are fairly orthodox Sunni Muslims, with many being members of the reformist Tableeghi Jamat. The Mansooris have two divisions, the Mansoori proper and the Laliwale. The latter do not practice cotton ginning, and have now taken to petty trade, . mansoori

The Mansoori are strictly endogamous, practising both parallel cousin and cross cousin marriages. Their traditional occupation of cotton carding has been affected by industrialisation, and many have taken to the manufacturing of pillows, quilts and mattresses. Many are also employed in the textile mills of Ahmedabad, Surat and in Godhra. The Laliwale are successful businessmen, and aspire to Shaikh status. They have their own caste association, the Shahr Ahmadabad Samastha Mansoori Jamat, which plays a key role in the welfare activity of the community.

Ahmad Shirpacha Zahir (Persian: احمد ظاهر‎ – Aḥmad Zāhir; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was a singer, songwriter, and composer from Afghanistan. He is widely considered an icon of Afghan music and is sometimes called the "King of Afghan music". His songs are mostly in Persian and based on well-recognized Persian poems, although a few are in Pashto and English. Zahir composed and performed rock and pop music, in a similar style to Elvis Presley. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest persons in Afghan culture and history.

Zahir was born on 14 June 1946 (Jauza 24, 1325 of the Jalali calendar) in Laghman, Afghanistan. His father, Abdul Zahir, was a royal court doctor, minister of health, Prime Minister of Afghanistan between 1971 and 1972, speaker of the parliament and an influential figure in King Zahir Shah's era who helped write the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan. Zahir grew up in Kabul and belonged to the Pashtun ethnic background.

Zahir attended Habibia High School in Kabul in the early 1960s. He sang and played the accordion in a band mainly consisting of his friends and classmates including Omar Sultan on guitar, Farid Zaland on congas and Kabir Howaida on piano. The band later became known as the amateur band of Habibia High School and performed in local concerts during celebratory occasions like Nowruz, Eid ul-Fitr,^{[disambiguation needed ]} and Afghan Independence Day.