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Glossary for the Middle East, Islam and the Arab WorldGlossary of terms, concepts, customs, traditions, people and places most commonly used in connection with the greater Middle East, Islam and the Arab World, including relevant translations of Arabic terms and explanations, in today's contexts, of historic and sectarian terms.
Glossary: Effendi
A definition of "Effendi," the Turkish word denoting a title or a mark of respect. Glossary: Fellah and Fellaheen
Fellah is the Arabic word for farmer, or agricultural worker who makes his living from the land. Fellaheen is the plural for the word, which has also come to represent a class of people in the Arab agricultural world. Glossary: The Arab League
Definition of the 22-member organization created in 1945. Glossary: The Yom Kippur War, or Ramadan War, October 1973
A brief explanation of the Yom Kippur, or Ramadan, war between Israel and Egypt in October 1973. Glossary: Ta'ayush
Definition of Ta'ayush, the Palestinian-Israeli grass-roots partnership and human rights movement designed to break down the walls of racism and segregation. Glossary: Mahdi Army
Definition of the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia founded by Iraq's Muqtada al-Sadr in August 2003. Glossary: Intifada
Definition of Intifada, or uprising, or, literally, "shaking off"--the Palestinian insurgency against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. Glssary: Sunnah
Definition of the word Sunnah, the Arabic term that since before Islamic times has signified established customs and cumulative traditions, but that, in the context of Islam, relate to the exemplary deeds of the Prophet Muhammad. Glossary: Litani River, Lebanon
Description and definition of Lebanon's Litani River and its meaning in the geopolitics of the region. Glossary: Izz al-Din al-Qassam (1880-1935)
Brief summary of the life of Izz al-Din al-Qassam, founding member of Palestinian resistance against British and Jews during the British mandate over Palestine. Glossary: Ihram
Definition of Ihram, the state of purity required of Muslim pilgrims before conducting the pilgrimage to Mecca. Glossary: Safavid Dynasty
Read a concise definition of Persia's (Iran's) Safavid Dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1501 to 1722. Glossary: Loya Jirga
Definition of Loya Jirga, or "grand assembly," a century-old, consensus-building Afghan tradition. Glossary: Pashtun, or Pakhtun
A definiteion of Pashtun, or Pakhtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Glossary: Hijab, or Veil (Burqah, Chador)
A definition of the many meanings and applications of the Arabic word hijab, or veil, in the Middle East and the Islamic world. Glossary: Mujahidin, Mujahid
Definition of the Arabic word for "one who engages in jihad," or "warrior of God." Glossary: Jihad
A definition of the Arabic word for "holy war," one of the most mis-applied and misunderstood words in the Islamic lexicon. Glossary: Surah
Definition of the Arabic word [i]surah[/i], or "chapter." Glossary: Ashura
Definition of Ashura, day of the commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn, Muhammad's grandson and the third imam of Shiite Islam. Glossary: Wahhabism, or Wahhabiyah
A definition of Wahhabism, founded by Muhammad Ibn al-Wahhab, the rigid interpretation of Islam that dominates Saudi Arabian society. Glossary: Operation Restore Hope (Somalia, 1993-1994)
Definition of the United States-led military and humanitarian intervention to stop the famine in Somalia in 1993. Glossary: Buzkashi
Definition of the national sport of Afghanistan and other central Asian cultures. Glossary: Iraq War Resolution
Definition and background to the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution by the U.S. Congress on Oct. 10-11, 2002. Glossary: Operation Desert Storm
Definition and scope of Operation Desert Storm, the offensive phase of the U.S.-led military operation to clear Kuwait of Iraqi forces in the first Gulf War, in January-February 1991. Glossary: Operation Desert Shield
Definition of Operation Desert Shield, precursor to Operation Desert Storm, during the first Gulf War against Iraq in 1990. Glossary: National Intelligence Estimates
A definition and explanation of National Intelligence Estimates, the consensus opinion of the U.S. government's 16 intelligence agencies. Glossary: Madrassa or Madrasa
A definition of the word that means, in Arabic, "school" Glossary: Coalition Provisional Authority, or CPA
A definition of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the Bush administration's provisional government for Iraq between April 1003 and June 2004 under the leadership of L. Paul Bremer. Glossary: Sharia or Shariah
A definition of Sharia, or Islamic law, with background on historical and contemporary practices |
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