Culture & Heritage

    Saladin – Salahuddin Ayyubi (Yusuf Salah al din ibn Ayyub) (Arabic: صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب; Kurdish: سه‌لاحه‌دین ئه‌یوبی Selah'edine Eyubi; c. 1137 – March 4, 1193), a Kurdish Sultan, known to Europeans as Saladin, especially medieval Europe, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and the liberator of Jerusalem (Al-Quds) from the third Crusade. His name means "righteousness of the faith." Saladin is …

Dr. A.M.A. Azeez, eminent educationist, efficient administrator, erudite learned scholar in English and Tamil, brilliant orator and writer, visionary and dedicated community worker was born on 4th October, 1911 in Vannarpannai, Jaffna to a leading Muslim family. He had his childhood and entire schooling in Jaffna and received his education at the Hindu schools Vaidyeshwara Vidyalayam and Jaffna Hindu College. …

All over the world Muslims have begun their holiest month of the year by fasting from dawn until dusk each day, broken each evening by large, communal meals.  The start of Ramadhan is earlier each year because it is calculated based on the sighting of the new moon, which begins the Muslim lunar month.  Muslims use the time to reevaluate …

(legendary Cricketer and cricket administrator Abu Fuard passed away on July 28th at the age of 75.This article written in 2010 is reproduced here in honour of his memory) He was a man for all seasons. His life is woven around cricket. In early 1950s, he was one of the best schoolboy cricketers representing Wesley College, Colombo. Later, he joined …

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," …

Taking on the task of writing about the late Dr. Badi-ud-din Mahmud is a challenge to anyone – moreso to the writer who cannot boast of any journalistic skill or prior experience. A revolutionary in a positive sense, he was a man with a mission from his early childhood. The very same flame that ignited him into public life remained …