Culture & Heritage

The origins of some Sri Lankan Muslim Foods and Beverages By Asiff Hussein

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, …

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Maradana- Some Observations by Kishanie S. Fernando.

Maradana’s infamous fame It is said that Maradana got its name from Maran-stan which is Tamil for “place of trees” which with time turned into Maran-dhan or Maradana. During the Dutch period the first cinnamon cultivation was in Maradana. It is recorded that in 1789 the Disave of Colombo, Cornelis de Cock, was responsible for laying out the first cinnamon …

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Arwi Language (Arabic Tamil)

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 …

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Imam Bukhari: the founder of Hadith science Abu Tariq Hijazi

Imam Bukhari is a name that creates a sense of reverence and respect in every Muslim’s heart. He was one of the greatest scholars of Islam and the founder of Hadith science. His prestigious compilation named Jame Al-Sahih is regarded as the second authentic book of Islam after the Holy Qur’an. It was in the second century Hijrah (Islamic calendar) …

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Building bridges of understanding Dr Mohamad Abdalla

Muslims have had a lengthy history in Australia, and their historic narrative can be explored from three angles that roughly correspond with the three stages of contact Muslims have had with both Indigenous peoples and the broader Australian community. An Iftar -breakfast- party held during Ramadhan fasting last year The earliest stage was prior to British colonisation and mainly consisted …

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