Culture & Heritage

While Muslims in the US enthusiastically pull out their stored Rubbermaid tubs marked “Ramadan/Eid,” packed with strings of paper lanterns, electric lights and glass ornaments bought, others find this “new” tradition to be a questionable innovation or another capitalist trapping. It may seem that converted Muslims have simply transferred their old traditions and newly immigrated Muslims have copied their neighbors’ …

          The sudden demise of Al-Haj Shahul Hameed Muhammad Jameel on 27th April 2015 was a great loss to the community and to myself personally. He led a well accomplished and illustrious life. His contributions as an eminent educationist, administrator, scholar, orator, researcher, archivist, writer, author, publisher et al will be remembered for a long time …

According to the direction of Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Archaeology Department this four storey building was constructed at the cost of  several million rupees. This museum was opened by former deputy minister and the Batticaloa district parliamentarian M.L.A.M.Hizbullaha. This museum clearly briefs the historical, religious, political, business and rituals of Muslim people thousands of years ago in Sri Lanka. …

If heaven, the ultimate reward that we are striving for, is described as “gardens underneath which rivers flow”, then what places on Earth could give us better foretaste of Paradise than gardens? Gardens, and specifically traditional Islamic gardens, are the reflections of heaven on Earth. But they are also much more: they are the places where our minds can rest …

Headdresses of the Muslims of Old By Asiff Hussein Surattu Toppi The ordinary headgear of the Muslims of Sri Lanka in the olden days was a white skullcap. However the head-dress usually worn by the more affluent Muslims was an altogether different type of head-gear. It was a costly multi-coloured, truncated conical brimless hat or cap made of straw or …

In this delightful book, well known writer Asiff Hussein shares with his readers some happy pen pictures of his mixed breed childhood lived in the Sri Lanka of the 1970s and 1980s. The Author who grew up in Colpetty had a most fascinating childhood with his siblings, enjoying the best of both worlds of their mixed Muslim Sinhalese parentage. Their …