Nigerian and african muslim personal names among the gullah. In these days of mounting interest in identity and culture, many muslim africans, african americans and others wish to know the meanings of the names they choose. Sharif zawawi draws on history, linguistics, anthropology and religion to provide a study of muslim personal names in the context of family relationships, adoption, marriage, conversion and. Because a number of african slaves brought to this country were muslims, and also because of the influence of the nation of islam during the civil rights movement, there are many christian black people with islamic names. Leone, guinea, senegal, the faithful of islam observe the. Early opposed to secular tendencies in islamic nations and also antibritish and antizionist, the organization has sought to foster a return to the original precepts of the quran. Aug 25, 2008 that african americans have a tendency to buck more common names is obvious. One of these explorers, mustafa zemmouri also known as estevanico, was. List of books and articles about islam in africa online. African muslims in early america national museum of african. Black families in other countries, including britain, are also following these trends.
African baby names which include muslim, christian, jewish and arabic names are beautiful, exotic, and full of meaningthink barack swahili for blessing or aaliyah meaning to rise up. The first lesson given to adam pbuh after his creation was the knowledge of names, which established his superiority over the angels, and became the reason for their prostration to him although the holy quran does not give the names that adam pbuh was taught, it does say that the earliest form of. Africanamerican names are an integral part of the traditions of the africanamerican community. Morocco is a country in northern africa with a population of over 33 million. African american male names arabicmuslim origin increasing numbers of african americans are converting to islam and this has led to the adoption of many muslim or arabic names. African names are generally related to circumstances surrounding a birth or the parents wishes for their child, which makes many of them a good choice for boys or girls. Part of this is due to the way in which african muslim histories and lives were intertwined with other aspects of american history. The book of african names duke university libraries. In the muslim tradition, this event is known as the first hijrah, or.
The muslim brotherhood remains strong in egypt, syria, sudan, and other arab countries, and has organizations in most islamic nations. African baby names which include muslim, christian, jewish and arabic names are beautiful, exotic, and full of meaningthink barack swahili for blessing. It is widely held that prior to the 1950s and 1960s, most african american names closely resembled those used within europeanamerican culture. One of the first duties a muslim parent has is choosing a name for the newborn child. In global, african, and near eastern studies, the role of the african muslim may be the most overlooked by western academia, and involve the most tenacious myths about the spread of islam. Muslims must choose a name that has a righteous meaning, that will befit and bring blessings to the child throughout his or her life. List of books and articles about muslim brotherhood online. Also featured is advice on alternative spellings, information on origins and meanings, and tips on choosing a name that will help parents reflect the treasure of the child who owns it. When you found a beautiful girl name click favorite button to add names into your favorite list and view later.
The arabs did not play any role in the transatlantic slave trade, which is the one that enslaved african americans ancestors. Africa is made up of ethnic groups with different languages and beliefs, hence their choices of names differ. View the latest boy and girl african names at mom365. One way to determine an ancestors religion is by studying his or her given names. The group was permitted to operate openly in egypt in the late 1980s and early 90s after disavowing violence in the 1970s, but the government again moved against the group beginning in the mid1990s. Austin discusses men living in the antebellum south named abd arrahman, bilali mohammed, salih bilali, umar ibn said, and yarrow mamout, who clearly maintained islamic names. African muslim names discusses the social and cultural significance of. Islam in africa, the development of the muslim religion on the african continent. Most are swahili, and many are very similar to the arabic names used in the muslim faith. Sources include french names, arabic names and muslim names, as well as other european and biblical. While many black americans use names that are popular with wider american culture, a number of specific naming trends have emerged within africanamerican culture.
Muslims first came to north america in the 1500s as part of colonial expeditions. The muslim worldincluding predominantly islamic countries spanning asia to the middle east to africa, as well as the global diasporic communitieshas an incredibly rich literary history. The names found here come mainly from hausafulani and kiswahili the two major languages spoken by millions of people throughout the african continent. Possibly an islamic male name or surname as well as nigerian. During muhammads lifetime a group of muslims escaped meccan persecution 615 by fleeing to ethiopia, where the negus king gave them protection. Arabic pronunciation in english, urdu, hindi, bangla.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. This atoz guide includes more than 10,000 names, ranging from african names to contemporary names to traditonal muslim names and more. This list of popular african boys names is based on data from the current year and is updated every day from our network of over 1,500 hospitals across the u. Some of the most popular names in use today are given in the following list. It is the black names that disproportionately stand out. Riazi launched her career as an author with her first book, the gauntlet, a jumanjilike ya novel about a group of friends trapped inside a board game they must dismantle in order to save the world, after the seemingly innocent 12yearold farah finds. Names of prophets, names combined with asmaul husna names of god, names from history, and the traditional or modern names are being used in this regard. Prophet muhammad had clearly mentioned in the hadith that on the day of judgement, people would be called by their and their mothers name. Collected poems by gabriel okara nebraska university press along with publishing a first book by an emerging new african poet each year, the africa book fund has also committed to publishing a collected edition of a major living african poet each year, and this year it is gabriel okara, the only person who could ever be called both the elder statesman of nigerian literature. Mar 27, 2019 diversity advocate karuna riazi aims to bring light to the authentic voices of muslim women and allow them to tell their own stories. Numbers and percentage of muslims in african countries. African muslims also fought alongside colonists during the revolutionary war 17751783.
African baby names meanings and origins disney family. A muslim child where ever born, and a person embracing islam, used to be called in a new name, probably in arabic name. Even within the whiteamerican population, most babies of that era were given a few very common names, with children given nicknames to distinguish the various people with the same name. Sources include french names, arabic names and muslim names, as well as other european and biblical names. In addition to names with african resonance, muslim names are also found in the black community e. The lack of african sources allowed scholars to make false assumptions as they evidenced the old axiom, scholarship follows the national flag.
For in our comnumity, eve ry new child is fully welcome ind no distinctions of in eq uality. Jul 08, 20 one way to determine an ancestors religion is by studying his or her given names. African muslim names discusses the social and cultural significance of proper names. A few months back, commenter becca mentioned the book names from africa 1972 by ogonna chuksorji. Oct 29, 2014 dictionary of islamic names and the definition of each one. Multiple men with muslim names appear on the military muster rolls, including bampett muhamed, yusuf ben ali also known as joseph benhaley, and joseph saba. The names used by many african tribes are often arabic in nature, as islamic traditions had a. This may seem like a small issue to most, but it is a very serious issue because the author is showing his ignorance of islam and spreading ignorance among the readers who know little or nothing about islam. The history of islam in africa facts about the muslims. As muslims around the world celebrate ramadan, were taking a look at famous africanamericans from muhammad ali to janet jacksonwho have converted to or have been born into islam. In these days of mounting interest in identity and culture, many muslim africans, africanamericans and others wish to know the meanings of the names they choose.
Images and identities, provides an overview of african muslim names, illustrates their adaptation to african languages, and reveals the synthesis that comes about between the indigenous and the islamic. There has never been a better time than right now to be a reader of african literature, especially in the united states historically, an underdeveloped nation in this regard. African first names typically hold a deeper meaning and history. Africanamerican names are an integral part of the traditions of the african american. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed. This book is packed with tons of information above and beyond what might be expected in this medium text.
This anthology is a radical collection of love stories from african women. It explains how names are chosen for newborns in african societies and the values they represent. Our evolving black american naming traditions psychology today. The presence of muslims in the slave population challenged and confused white slave owners, who had constructed a paternal and selfserving image of africans as without religion, culture, or language. Being the largest continent on the planet and encompassing a large variety of cultures and people, there is rich diversity in parenting traditions. I did not find that it spoke to the names that i was. The heart of servants of allah consists of a detailed reconstruction of muslim slave efforts in the united states to maintain, as much as possible, an islamic way of life. That africanamericans have a tendency to buck more common names is obvious. He is the chairperson of the africanamerican studies department at temple university, and the author of over twenty books including afrocentricity, african culture and kemet, afrocentricity and knowledge. African muslims in early america national museum of.
Because of the vibrant creole culture in louisiana, there is also a french. Muslim brotherhood, officially jamiat alikhwan almuslimun arab. The first lesson given to adam pbuh after his creation was the knowledge of names, which established his superiority over the angels, and became the reason for their prostration to him. African muslims were an integral part of creating america from mapping its borders to fighting against british rule. Most beautiful muslim islami names with meanings best islami. Khalid, jamal, and malik are three of the more common examples. Nigerian and african muslim personal names among the. List of books and articles about muslim brotherhood. The presence of islam in africa can be traced to the 7th century ce, when in rajab 8 bh, or may 614 ce, muhammad advised a number of his early disciples, who were facing persecution by the polytheistic inhabitants of the mecca, to seek refuge across the red sea in axum. According to the international religious freedom report for 20, the number or percentage of muslims in the african countries is as follows. Choose an unique muslim girl name for your baby girl from the list of girl baby names.
Get inspiration for baby names with our most popular african boy names that are trending now. In the muslim faith, it is blasphemous to refer to a person as arrahmaan or any of the other names of allah god. This name generator will give you 10 random moroccan names and surnames. Asante is a leading linguist and cultural historian. Diversity advocate karuna riazi aims to bring light to the authentic voices of muslim women and allow them to tell their own stories. The gullah even bear puzzling names lilke kafiri a derogatory name for a nonmuslim, which yoruba muslims call keferi, which is an african approximation of the arabic kafir, and saitan, which is. The collection is a radical departure from conventional anthologies and the love theme is aimed at debunking the myth that african women are poor and helpless victims. There are many, many reasons to love this book and each is a title in this brilliant collection. The muslim worldincluding predominantly islamic countries spanning asia to the middle east to africa, as well as the global. A name reflects and reinforces an identity both when it is given and when it is changed.
Why do black people name their children arabic names. They are often influenced by factors like events surrounding the babys birth, emotional warnings or moods of the family during the birth, celebrity culture, order of birth, faith and religion, time of day and day of birth, ancestry, and more. The gullah even bear puzzling names lilke kafiri a derogatory name for a non muslim, which yoruba muslims call keferi, which is an african approximation of the arabic kafir, and saitan, which is. Mar 27, 2018 the muslim worldincluding predominantly islamic countries spanning asia to the middle east to africa, as well as the global diasporic communitieshas an incredibly rich literary history. African names are used in various places on the continent of africa. In the muslim tradition, this event is known as the first hijrah, or migration twentythree muslims migrated to abyssinia. East and west africans had as little knowledge of and concern for eac. The first thing to know is that muslims often name their children for prominent religious figures. Why do black people name their children arabic names despite.
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