NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Islam in Sri Lanka

Islam in Sri Lanka is practiced by a group of minorities who make up approximately 8% of the population. The Muslim community is divided into three main ethnic groups: the Sri Lankan Moors, the Indian Moors, and the Malays, each with its own history and traditions. The attitude among the majority of non-Muslims in Sri Lanka is to use the term '"Muslim" as an ethnic group, specifically when referring to Sri Lankan Moors. A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Sinhalese or Sinhala (à·ƒà·’à¶‚à·„à¶½, ISO 15919: , pronounced ], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Letters unique to Arwi. ... Arabic redirects here. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ...

Image File history File links Flag_of_Sri_Lanka. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Sri_Lanka. ...

Sri Lankan Moors

The Sri Lankan Moors make up 93% of the Muslim population and 7% of the total population of the country (1,404,534 people in 2005). They are predominantly Sunni Muslims of Shafi School. Etymologically, the term "Moor" was first applied by the Portuguese, who labeled all Muslims after their enemies, the Moors, whom they fought in Iberia for centuries. The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka some time between the eighth and fifteenth centuries. The Arabic language brought by the early mercenaries is no longer spoken by the Moors, though various Arabic words and phrases are still employed in daily usage. In the past, the Moors employed Arwi as their mother tongue, though this is also extinct as a spoken language. Currently, the Moors of Sri Lanka use Tamil as their primary language which includes many loan words from Arabic. The Moors are also fluent in Sinhala, an Indo-European language spoken by the Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka. Download high resolution version (480x640, 36 KB)Mosque in Galle, southern Sri Lanka. ... Download high resolution version (480x640, 36 KB)Mosque in Galle, southern Sri Lanka. ... The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... Galle (à¶œà·à¶½à·Šà¶½ in Sinhala; à®•à®¾à®²à®¿ in Tamil) (pronounced as one syllable, rhyming with Gaul in English, in Sinhalese, IPA /gaËlËÉ™/) is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shafii is one of the four schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. ... For other uses, see moor. ... The name Iberia refers to two distinct regions of the old world: The Iberian Peninsula, in Southwest Europe, location of modern-day Spain and Portugal, home to the pre-Roman Iberians. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... Arabic redirects here. ... Letters unique to Arwi. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Sinhalese or Sinhala (à·ƒà·’à¶‚à·„à¶½, ISO 15919: , pronounced ], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... For other uses, see Indo-European. ... Language(s) Sinhala Religion(s) Theravada Buddhism, Christianity, small groups of atheists, agnostics, Muslims, others Related ethnic groups Indo-Aryans, Dravidians, Veddahs, Bengalis The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ...

The Sri Lankan Moors lived primarily in coastal trading and agricultural communities, preserving their Islamic cultural heritage while adopting many Southern Asian customs. During the period of Portuguese colonisation, the Moors suffered from persecution, and many moved to the Central Highlands, where their descendants remain.

East coast Moors

On the east coast, Sri Lankan moors are primarily agriculturalists, fishers and traders. Their family lines are traced through women, as in kinship systems of the southwest Indian state of Kerala, but they govern themselves through Islamic law.^[1] , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: à´•àµ‡à´°à´³à´‚; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... Sharia (Arabic شريعة also Sharia, Shariah or Syariah) is traditional Islamic law. ...

Arabs in Sri Lanka: The Sri Lankan Moors

The Tamils of Sri Lanka, throughout history, have attempted to categorize the Sri Lankan Moors as belonging to the Tamil race. It is claimed that this has been mainly for selfish reasons in a bid to eliminate the minority Muslim community from having its own unique identity. The Government of Sri Lanka, however, treats the Muslims as of Arab origin and as a distinct ethnic group from the Tamils.^[2]

The manner in which Islam developed in Sri Lanka is very similar to that on the Malabar coast of India. Tradition has recorded that Arabs who had settled down on the Malabar coast used to travel from the port of Cranganore to Sri Lanka on piligrimage to pay homage to what they believed to be the footprint of Adam on the top of a mountain, which, until today, is called Adam's Peak.^[2] Adams Peak, also known as Sri Pada, is a 2,243 metre (7,360 feet) tall conical mountain in central Sri Lanka. ...

Ibn Batuta, the famous 14th century Arab traveler, recorded many facets about early Arab influence in Sri Lanka in his travelogues. Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta (February 24, 1304 - 1377) was a Moroccan Berber traveller and explorer. ...

Before the end of the 7th century, a colony of Muslim merchants had established themselves in Ceylon. Fascinated by the scenic splendor and captivated by the traditions associated with Adam's Peak, Muslim merchants arrived in large numbers and some of them decided to settle in the island encouraged by the cordial treatment they received by the local rulers. Most of them lived along the coastal areas in peace and prosperity, maintaining contacts, both cultural and commercial, with Baghdad and other Islamic cities.^[2] Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ...

According to Tikiri Abeyasinghe in his Portuguese Rule in Ceylon, 1594-1612, Colombo (1966), Lake House Investments Ltd., p 192, tradition has it that, Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ...

It is perhaps reasonable, therefore, to assume that the Arabs, professing the religion of Islam, arrived in Sri Lanka around the 7th/8th century A.D. even though there was a settled community of Arabs in Ceylon in pre-Islamic times.^[2]

The circumstances that helped the growth of Muslim settlements were varied. Most of the majority Sinhalese depended more on agriculture than trade, thus trade wide open to the Muslims. The Sinhalese Kings considered the Muslim settlements favorably on account of the revenue that they brought them through their contacts overseas both in trade and in politics. The religious tolerance of the local population was also another vital factor in the development of Muslim settlements in Ceylon.^[2] Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

The early Muslim settlements were set up mainly around ports on account of the nature of their trade. It is also assumed that many of the Arab traders may not have brought their womenfolk along with them when they settled in Ceylon. Hence they would have been compelled to marry the Sinhalese and Tamil women of the island after converting them to Islam. The fact that a large number of Muslims in Sri Lanka speak the Tamil language can be attributed to the possibility that they were trading partners with the Tamils of South India and had to learn Tamil to successfully in order to carry out their business. The integration with the Muslims of Tamil Nadu, in South India, may have also contributed to this. It is also possible that the Arabs who had already migrated to Ceylon, prior to Islam, had adopted the Tamil language as a medium of communication in their intercourse with the Tamil speaking Muslims of South India. The Muslims were very skillful traders who gradually built-up a very lucrative trading post in Ceylon. A whole colony of Muslims is said to have landed at Beruwela (South Western coast) in the Kalutara District in 1024 A.D.^[2] Kalutara is a city in Sri Lanka. ...

The Muslims did not indulge in propagating Islam amongst the natives of Ceylon even though many of the Sinhalese and Tamil women they married did convert.^[2]

There is also a report in the history of Sri Lanka of a Muslim Ruler, Vathimi Raja, who reigned at Kurunegala (North Central Province) in the 14th. century. This factor cannot be found in history books due to their omission, for reasons unknown, by modern authors. Vathimi Raja was the son of King Bhuvaneka Bahu I, by a Muslim spouse, the daughter of one of the chiefs. The Sinhalese son of King Bhuvaneka Bahu I, Parakrama Bahu III, the real heir to the throne was crowned at Dambadeniya under the name of Pandita Parakrama Bahu III. In order to be rid of his step brother, Vathimi Raja, he ordered that his eyes be gouged out. It is held that the author of the Mahavamsa (ancient history of Ceylon) had suppressed the recording of this disgraceful incident. The British translator, Mudaliyar Wijesinghe states that original Ola (leaf script) was bodily removed from the writings and fiction inserted instead. The blinded Vathimi Raja (Bhuvaneka Bahu II or Al-Konar, abbreviated from Al-Langar-Konar, meaning Chief of Lanka of Alakeshwara) was seen by the Arab traveller Ibn Batuta during his visit to the island in 1344. His son named Parakrama Bahu II (Alakeshwara II) was also a Muslim. The lineage of Alakeshwara kings (of Muslim origin) ended in 1410. Although all the kings during this reign may not have been Muslims, the absence of the prefix -Shri Sangha Bodhi- (pertaining to the disciples of the Buddha) to the name of these kings on the rock inscriptions during this hundred year period may be considered as an indicator that they were not Buddhists. Further during Ibn Batuta's visit a Muslim ruler called Jalasthi is reported to have been holding Colombo, maintaining his hold over the town with a garrison of about 500 Abyssinians.^[2] The 88 feet giant Buddha Statue on top of the Ethagala. ... North Central Province is a province of Sri Lanka. ... The Mahavansha, also Mahawansha, (PÄli: great chronicle) is a historical record, often thought to be the oldest written record oh history, written in the PÄli language, of the Buddhist kings as well as Dravidian kings of Sri Lanka. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

In spite of this the Muslims have always maintained very cordial relationships with the Sinhalese Royalty and the local population. There is evidence that they were closer to the Sinhalese than to the Tamils. The Muslims' relationship with the Sinhalese kings grew stronger and in the 14th century they even fought with them against the expanding Tamil kingdom and its maritime influence.^[2]

By the beginning of the 16th. century, the Muslims of Sri Lanka, the descendants of the original Arab traders, had settled down comfortably on the island. They were very successful in trade and commerce and integrated socially with the customs of the local people. They had become an inseparable, and even more, an indispensable part of society. This period was one of ascendancy in peace and prosperity for the Sri Lankan Muslims.^[2]

Indian Moors

The Indian Moors are Muslims who trace their origins to immigrants searching for business opportunities during the colonial period. Some of these people came to the country as far back as Portuguese times; others arrived during the British period from various parts of India. Majority of them came from Tamil Nadu and Kerala states, and unlike the Sri Lankan Moors, are ethnically related to South Indians. The Memon, originally from Sindh (in modern Pakistan), first arrived in 1870; in the 1980s they numbered only about 3,000, they mostly follow the Hanafi Sunni school of Islam. Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: à´•àµ‡à´°à´³à´‚; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... Memon (Gujarati: ; Sindhi: ; Hindi: ; Urdu: ) a minority social group primarily connected with the Indian sub-continent trace their roots largely to Sindh, Kutch and Kathiawar. ... Sindh (SindhÄ«: Ø³Ù†ÚŒ, UrdÅ«: Ø³Ù†Ø¯Ú¾) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... The Hanafi (Arabic ØÙ†ÙÙŠ) school is the oldest of the four schools of thought (Madhhabs) or jurisprudence (Fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ...

The Dawoodi Bohras and the Khoja are Shi'a Muslims came from northwestern India (Gujarat state) after 1880; in the 1980s they collectively numbered fewer than 2,000. These groups tended to retain their own places of worship and the languages of their ancestral homelands. Dawoodi Bohras are the main branch of the Bohras, a MustaË¤lÄ« subsect of IsmÄÄ«lÄ« ShÄ«Ë¤a IslÄm, and are based in India. ... The Khwajahs or officially Khojas (Urdu: Ø®ÙˆØ¬Û) are a (mostly Muslim) community that are mainly concentrated in South Asia, but due to migrations over the centuries have spread to many parts of the globe. ... Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... This article is for the Indian state. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The Malays

The Malays of Sri Lanka originated in Southeast Asia and today consist of about 50,000 persons. Their ancestors came to the country when both Sri Lanka and Indonesia were colonies of the Dutch. Most of the early Malay immigrants were soldiers, posted by the Dutch colonial administration to Sri Lanka, who decided to settle on the island. Other immigrants were convicts or members of noble houses from Indonesia who were exiled to Sri Lanka and who never left. The main source of a continuing Malay identity is their common Malay language (Bahasa Melayu), which includes numerous words absorbed from Sinhalese and the Moorish variant of the Tamil language. In the 1980s, the Malays made up about 5 % of the Muslim population in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Creole Malay language is a unique mixture of the Sinhalese language and the Tamil language with Malay. ... Sinhalese or Sinhala (à·ƒà·’à¶‚à·„à¶½, ISO 15919: , pronounced ], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (400x602, 111 KB) Summary Created by me Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (400x602, 111 KB) Summary Created by me Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... The concept of a Malay race was proposed by the German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752-1840). ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Not to be confused with the Malayalam language, spoken in India. ... Sinhalese or Sinhala (à·ƒà·’à¶‚à·„à¶½, ISO 15919: , pronounced ], earlier referred to as Singhalese) is the mother tongue of the Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... Islam in Sri Lanka is practiced entirely by Sri Lankan Muslims, who make up approximately 8% of the population, comprise a group of minorities practicing the religion of Islam in Sri Lanka. ...

Conversions

Most Sri Lankan Muslims, relatively, have not been active in spreading Islam among the majority population and have remained quite insular.^[2]

However, there is now steady rise in the number of converts. These converts mostly come from the Sinhalese Buddhist, Tamil Hindu and Roman Catholic communities. Many newspapers contain the names of converts on an almost daily basis.^[3] A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, SiddhÄrtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

Categories: Islam by country | Religion in Sri Lanka | Muslim communities | Sri Lankan culture | Ethnic groups in Sri Lanka Islam started in Asia with the life of the Prophet Muhammad. ... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... Islam has a rich heritage in China. ... Facade of the masjid. ... Islam is a minority religion in East Timor. ... This article is in need of attention. ... It is estimated that there are up to 40,000 Muslim adherents in Korea (does not include migrant workers who live in Korea). ... It is estimated that there are up to 40,000 Muslim adherents in Korea. ... The vast majority of the people of Saudi Arabia are Sunni Muslims. ... Jumeirah Mosque, built in stone in medieval Fatimid tradition, is an example of modern Islamic architecture and is one of the most photographed sights of Dubai More than 80 percent of the population of the UAE are noncitizens. ... This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent. ...

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