maulana

See also: Maulana

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Arabic مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā).

The Indian slang usage of the term for any Muslim person was derived from a stereotype, especially towards Muslims who look stereotypical (beard, robes, and skullcap).

Noun

maulana (plural maulanas)

1. (Islam) A religious scholar, especially in Central and South Asia.
   • 1981, V. S. Naipaul, Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey, page 168:

     At the end of his long and cantankerous life the maulana had gone against all his high principles. He had gone to a Boston hospital to look for health; he had at the very end entrusted himself to the skill and science of the civilization he had tried to shield his followers from.

2. (India, Islam, Internet slang, religious slur) A Muslim person in general, especially an extreme conservative.

See also

• maulvi
• mawla

Swahili

Alternative forms

• Maulana

Etymology

From Arabic مَوْلَانَا (mawlānā, “our lord”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya)

  (file)

Proper noun

maulana

1. (Islam) A title, equivalent to "lord", most often used to refer to God

   Synonyms: mola, Mungu