Ayam (people)
Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
Kuwait City | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Shi'a Islam Minority Sunni Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Ajam of Bahrain |
Ayam[1][2] (Kuwaiti Arabic):العيّم are Kuwaiti citizens of Iranian origin, who migrated to Kuwait over the last couple of hundred years. Marafi Behbahani was one of the first merchants to settle in Kuwait in the 18th century.[3]
Most Ayam are Shia Muslims. However, some Kuwaitis of Iranian origin are Sunnis. The Kuwaitis of Iranian Balochi origin are predominantly Sunni Muslim.[4] Balochi families first immigrated to Kuwait in the 19th century.[5]
There are also Ayam who originate from Mecca and Medina, but had moved during the Abbasid rule to Iran due to Persecution; after the Abbasid caliphate Al-Ma'moon forced the 8th Shia imam, Ali al-Ridha to stay in Merv in Khorasan.[6] A lot of Shia wanted to visit their imam, but where stopped in their way while in Persia.[7] Most of them settled their after that. Most of Al-Musawi family come from this line.
Notable people
- Abdulhussain Abdulredha, prominent actor.
- Ahmed Lari, a politician.
- Ali Hussain Al-Awadhi, journalist and politician.
- Ali Al-Zinkawi, Olympics athlete.
- Adnan Zahid Abdulsamad, a politician.
- Ali Ashkanani, footballer.
- Ali al-Ihqaqi, Religious scholar.
- Ali Abdulreda, footballer.
- Abdulwahed Al-Awadhi, a politician.
- Kazem Behbehani, immunologist and retired professor, World Health Organization official.
- Rola Dashti, one of the first Kuwaiti women elected in the Kuwaiti parliament.
- Samir Said, footballer.
- Dawood Hussein, comedy actor.
- Bashar al-Shatti, singer-songwriter of Star Academy fame.
- Sulaiman Qabazard, 1976 Olympics diver.
- Emma Shah, singer.
- Mai Al Balushi, actress.
- Ibtihal Al-Khatib, secular academic.
- Marafi, merchant.
- Mohammad Ashkanani, professional basketball player.
- Muhammad Baqir al-Muhri, an ayatollah.
- Saleh Ashour, a politician.
- Hassan Jawhar, former member of the National Assembly.
- Hussain Al-Moussawi, footballer.
- Abbas Almohri, Religious scholar.
- Halema Boland, television host and entertainer.
- Hamad al-Naqi, blogger.
- Nasser Abul, online activist.
See also
References
- ↑ Article in AL-AAN online newspaper (in Arabic) November 2010
- ↑ Article by Waleed aj-Jasim in Al-Watan daily newspaper (in Arabic). 25 May 2013
- ↑ http://www.alanba.com.kw/weekly/literature-and-culture/from-the-past/114428/22-05-2010
- ↑ "The Baluch Presence in the Persian Gulf" (PDF). 2013. pp. 742–743.
- ↑ "The Shia Migration from Southwestern Iran to Kuwait: Push-Pull Factors during the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries". Georgia State University. 2012. pp. 71–72.
- ↑ Murtadha Mutahhari, Majmu'at al-Athaar, Part 18. Qum, Tehran. p. 124
- ↑ Peshawar Nights - The writer, Muhammad al-Musawi, talking about his family history