|
Al Qaeda |
Literally The Base. Now used as the name of Osama bin Laden's terrorist
network |
| Ayatollah |
Islamic religious leader of the Shi'ite sect. |
| Burqa |
The dress worn by Islamic women who wish to show extreme modesty in
public. Only the hands and feet are visible. The wearer looks out
through a mask. |
| Chador |
Similar to above. |
|
Eid ul-Adha |
This a major festival which lasts 4 days taking place after the Hajj. |
| Eid |
Pronounced "eed" This is the feast which takes place at the end of the
Ramadan fast. |
| Hadith |
Islamic instructions which support the Koran. They were added to by
Muslims up about 200 years after the death of Mohammed. The Koran
cannot be modified but an Ayatollah can modify the instructions in a
Hadith. |
|
Hafiz |
Somebody who knows the Koran off by heart. |
| Hajj |
The pilgrimage to the holy town Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Every Muslim
must make this journey once in their life time. |
| Halal |
This is similar to Kosher. That is the method of killing animals in a
slaughter house. |
| Hijab |
A simple veil worn by Islamic women in public. It must cover the hair.
Ittis very similar to a western headscarf which was always worn to
church 50 years ago unless the woman wore a hat. |
|
Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen |
or Muslim Brotherhood. A movement started around 1930 in Egypt
advocating suppressed Islamic countries under Western colonial rule to
seek independence and set up an Islamic state. |
| Iman |
A leader of a congregation or prayer leader. Not high up in the
hierarchy. See also Mullah. |
| Jihad |
Originally the internal struggle a person must go through to become a
good Muslim. Later and currently also used to describe a holy war
against non Islamic people. |
| Khalifa or Caliph |
A leader in the Islamic world who inherited his position like a King in
the Western world. Following Mohammed most of the leaders in the first
200 years inherited their position and were called Caliphs |
|
Khitan Circumcision |
This is a custom in Islam exactly as it is in the Jewish faith.
Originaly God told Abraham around 2500 BC or 4500 years ago to cut the
foreskins from the penis of all the males in his tribe. The idea being
that every time a male takes hold of his penis which he does regularly,
he will be reminded that this was done in the name of God. Generally it
is done to all male babies on their 8th day. |
|
Masjid or Mosque |
Building for worship like a Church in Christianity or a Synagogue in
Judaism |
| Minaret |
This it the tower of a Mosque similar to the spire or tower of a
church. The Minaret is used by the Muezzin who calls Muslims to prayer,
as bells are used in a Christian church. |
| Mujahedeen |
A fighter who undertakes a jihad. |
| Mullah |
Islamic prayer leader. |
| Polygamy |
This is a marriage when the man has more than one wife. Generally
outlawed in the West. When Mohammed lived some 1400 years ago a man
might take several wives. This was considered a socially sensible thing
to do and also a kindness because as men were often killed at war there
were many more women than men. It avoided "old maids". |
| Purdah |
The seclusion of women |
|
Qur'an or Koran |
The book where all the messages from God received by Mohammed were
written down. The prime religious text for Muslims. |
| Ramadan |
The annual fasting month in the Islamic calendar. |
| Sharia |
The way an Islamic country sets out the local rules. (Islamic law based
on the Koran and the Hadith) |
| Shia |
The strict Islamic code as practiced in Iran by the Shi'ite Muslims. |
| Sufi |
The branch of Islam preached by the mystics. It is less strict than the
other sects. |
| Sunni |
The mainstream branch of Islam |
| Surah |
A chapter in the Koran |
| Ulema |
Body of Islamic scholars. |
| Wahhabi |
The extreme Islamic faith practiced in Saudi Arabia. |
