Panegyric Poetry and the Poetics of Panache: Exploring the Rich Heritage of Mappila Songs

The word Mappila (sometimes pronounced as Moplah) comes from the ancient Dravidian language, meaning “great child” (maha, “great” and pilla, “child”). The Mappilas today are for the most part descendants of foreign traders from the Middle East who visited the southwestern coast of India, known as the Malabar Coast, through Indian Ocean trade routes.  Continue reading Panegyric Poetry and the Poetics of Panache: Exploring the Rich Heritage of Mappila Songs

Islamicate Literature — a Tool to Tackle Islamophobia

 Islamophobia is a long standing, deeply entrenched, global issue. Growing bodies of research point to the proliferation of Islamophobia cases across the globe in recent years. It disrupts civil society at many levels, from anti-Muslim policies to heightened tensions and hate crimes, including the increased bullying of Muslim children. One of the core causes of Islamophobia is ignorance, which is often fueled by stereotyped and negative portrayals of Muslims in media and popular culture.   Continue reading Islamicate Literature — a Tool to Tackle Islamophobia

Traversing Tradition Book Recommendations 2021

Commuting to and from work, hours have been freed for us to use at our discretion. A common complaint by those who don’t read is not necessarily that they don’t have time, it’s that they don’t know what to read. For some, it has been so long since they last picked up a book that they’ve forgotten what genres they used to enjoy. An easy way around this is to think about what you currently enjoy watching. Whether it’s shows on Netflix, video essays on YouTube or anime on your mate’s Crunchyroll, think about the subject matter and the overarching genres. Continue reading Traversing Tradition Book Recommendations 2021

Islamic Fiction in Malaysia: Q&A with Hilal Asyraf

The story is about a Malay Muslim warrior committed to helping the oppressed but remains nameless because he has never shared his name with others. At that time, the Malay Peninsula is ruled by a powerful Sultan that uses sihr (demonic magic) to stay young, invulnerable and possesses many superpowers. The story will lead readers to follow the journey of this nameless warrior, and how he will fight this Sultan. The legend, despite being action-packed, will honour practical Islamic messages, especially aqidah (creed), iman (faith), honour, and so on. Continue reading Islamic Fiction in Malaysia: Q&A with Hilal Asyraf