Monthly Archives: November 2022

NAMES OF MOOR WOMEN AND THEIR ORIGINS

The names of Moor females like those of Moor males are largely of Arab origin. Popular names for girls include Fātima (the name of the Prophet’s beloved daughter), Āyisha, Hafsa, Khadija and Zaynab (the names of the Prophet’s wives or Ummul Mūminīn ‘Mothers of the Believers’ as they are usually known by the faithful) Asma (The first Caliph Abu Bakr’s …

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Polar Islam: Muslim Communities in Russia’s Arctic Cities

Abstract This article advances the notion of “Polar Islam” to describe the birth and structuring of Muslim communities in Russia’s Arctic cities. It does not assert that Arctic conditions have created an entirely specific Islam; most of the features attributed here to “Polar Islam” can easily be found in other regions of Russia. Yet the climatic conditions, remoteness, and heavy …

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The Forgotten Afghans Of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka experienced major waves of immigration during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when throngs of immigrants from India & other British colonies took up residence on the island. Indentured labourers from the erstwhile Madras Presidency & Malabar, who were recruited to work on the central Hill plantations of tea, rubber & coffee, constituted the greatest proportion of this group, followed …

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UN members condemn China over abuse of Uighurs in Xinjiang

Ethnic Uighur demonstrators take part in a protest against China, in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 1, 2021 [File: Dilara Senkaya/Reuters] Fifty countries have urged China to uphold international human rights obligations in its treatment of the Uighur minority. Fifty countries have called on China to “uphold its international human rights obligations” in a joint statement read out during a United …

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THE MUSLIM HERITAGE OF EASTERN SRI LANKA

Edited by S.H.M. Jameel and Asiff Hussein   Reviewed by Prof. M. A. Nuhman   The Muslim Heritage of Eastern Sri Lanka edited by S.H.M. Jameel and Asiff Hussein is a pioneering project published by the Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (MWRAF). Ideologically MWRAF is close to me. It is not among the conservative women’s organizations that involve themselves …

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