Muslim Culture

It seems that somebody has shifted the gear to the reverse.  It’s really disheartening to see how a golden opportunity the country was presented with about three and a half years ago is allowed to slip away carelessly. Chauvinism, racism and religious and cultural intolerance have forced themselves into the front seat while harmony, unity and respect for difference have …

During his 1868 – 1871 lecture series, "Introduction to the Study of  History," Swiss historian Prof. Jacob Burchardt explained his thesis that there are "three powers" in history — the state, religion, and culture. Burchardt, whose book "The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy" became a classic, went on to define culture in general as "the realm of the spontaneous," …

Sri Lanka’s Muslims are heirs to a rich culinary tradition which has its ultimate origins in Arabia, India and the Malay world. Their cuisine is in a sense ‘international’. Here’s a brief survey of some of their more prominent foods and drinks and their origins. Buriyani A favourite rice dish which figures prominently in local Muslim feasts is the buriyani, …

Arwi or Arabic-Tamil (ل س ا ن ا ل أ ر و ي lisā n-ul-arwī அ ர ப ு -த ம ி ழ ் arabu-tamil) is an Arabic-influenced dialect of the Tamil language written with an extension of the Arabic alphabet, with extensive lexical and phonetic influences from the Arabic language. Arwi was used extensively by the Muslim minority of …