u/Ambitious-Month8143

The conquests of the Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese are similar to the conquests of the MENA region and Anatolia by the Arabs and Turks respectively in that the conquered populations took on the culture of the conqueror (the language, religion, names etc of the conquering group) yet unlike in MENA and Anatolia where the conquered began to identify ethnically with the ethnicities of the conquerors. The same did not happen in Latin America.

Someone I asked stated that the reason was that the population of LATAM was/is composed of different and diverse groups (Mestizos, Criollos,Afro-Latinos, the different Indigenous groups etc) if so the Arabic speaking and Turkic speaking worlds were/are also diverse.

The Arabic world even more so as you had virtually every population group from the Old World living or having contact with the Arab world. From West Africans to Southeast Asians to groups from the Caucasus region to Southern Europeans and many others, the area roughly approximate to what we consider the MENA region today was arguably the center of the Old World prior to the "discovery" of the Americas.

Many groups converged here(along with the native groups)but rather than keeping their distinct identities they assimilated into the Arab identity despite having possibly little to no Arab ancestry and this is why today and back then you could have an Andalusi Muslim living in Granada whose of mostly or of only native Iberian ancestry consider himself an Arab same way you can have a Baggara Nomad living in the Sahel whose of Fulani, Kanuri and Nubian ancestry consider himself an Arab or a Lebanese Christian of Greek and Italian ancestry view himself as an Arab or a Omani descended from Balochi or Gujarati traders view himself as an Arab or a Saudi of Indonesian descendent whose forefathers were Hajj pilgrims who decided to stay yet they'll identity not as Indonesian but as an Arab and so on and so on.

The same thing can be observed in Anatolia where you can have a person of mostly Greek and Slavic ancestry identify as a Turk along with a person of mostly Balkan ancestry who'll also identify as a Turk and even groups like Afro-Turks whom are of mostly African ancestry yet identify as Turks.

Contrast this with LATAM where very few if any of the population identified with the Spanish or Portuguese ethnicity even those whom were of full Spaniard ancestry (eg the Criollos) didn't identify themselves with being Spanish. This can be seen in the Libertadores who were mostly Criollos yet despite this they didn't identify with the Peninsulares ( whom they shared ethnicity with) rather they identified with the different peoples(and later with their newly independent countries)of the Americas rather than with their fellow ethnic Spaniards.

As I said in the beginning the conquests of the Americas, MENA and Anatolia by the Spanish and Portuguese, Arabs and Turks respectively were virtually similar in that the conquered groups adopted the language and customs of the conqueror but it was only in MENA and Anatolia where the conquered population begin to identify ethnically with their conquerors why didn't this happen in the Americas. I apologize if I made any grammatical mistakes English is not my first language.

Hey guys, I'd like to ask which country feels the most similar to the region you’re from? Since Latin American countries are incredibly diverse, two people from different regions in the same country can feel like they’re from completely different countries.

So I thought to come here to ask which country is most similar to your region?

The country in question can be in the Americas. For example, someone from northern Mexico(like Chihuahua or Sonora) might say the American Southwest is similar to their region while someone from the south ( like Chiapas) might say Guatemala or it can even be outside the Americas. As I remember a convo I had with someone from Bahia( which is located in northeastern Brazil)saying they felt more similar to a Cape Verdean than to a fellow Brazilian from the South (places like Paraná) or from the Amazon region (such as the state of Amazonas).

Also my English isn't that good so I apologize if I made any grammatical or word mistakes.

Hey guys, I’d like to ask which Amazigh group shares the most cultural similarities with your own ethnic group, and which shares the least?

One of the most interesting things I find about Islam is how widespread It was in the pre-modern era and how the different communities that practiced it were influenced by the beilefs and world-view of Islam and in turn they would localize Islam to suit the different societies and cultures of the peoples that practiced it.

From southeast Asia in the east to West Africa in the west,Islam encountered groups that were widely different from not only the lands where it came (the Hejaz) but from each other (a nomad living in the Steppes of Central Asia a, a poet in Al Andalus, a scholar living in Timbuktu and a farmer living in the Rif mountains each lived lives that would seem alien to the other but they all shared a single faith) and when it encountered these groups it also encountered the pre Islamic culture of these groups and an interesting thing that happened here is that Islam didn't wipe away the pre Islamic culture of these groups and peoples but rather there would be a mixing between the two(the Islamic and Pre-Islamic cultures).

Where in the way Islam would be practiced in a certain region would be somewhat shaped by the pre Islamic culture and the pre-Islamic culture would over time get an "Islamic makeover" (where in folktales, cultural practices, or cultural heroes that were originally non Islamic would be viewed in a Islamic lense an example of this being Bouljoud in Morocco). A few examples of the ways above is how in the Sundanese and Javanese regions of Indonesia the pre-Islamic sea goddess Nyi Roro Kidul was reinterpreted as a powerful Jinn who is a servant of God. Another is how among the Arsi Oromo people of what is today Ethiopia the pilgrimage to the Town of Sheikh Hussein called a Ziyara by the Oromo(the tern probably originated from the Arabic word for visitation ziara) is similar to the pilgrimage(muudaa in Oromo) performed by worshipers of the traditional Oromo religion called Waaqeffanna as both pilgrims will usually carry a forked walking stick called a dhanqe, both carried gifts and sacrificial animals to the pilgrimage site and both groups of pilgrims would be given anything they want by the communities they would pass by and lastly the traditional Oromo term muudaa was used by some Muslims for the ziyara.

Another example but from the pov of other religions interacting Islam and trying to fit it within their worldview is how in the traditional religion of the Yoruba people called Ifa. Islam is said to have originated from the Orisha or god of divination called Orunmila who is said to have performed a divination for a Muslim figure( this figure is often said to be the Prophet Muhammad though in other versions its another Prophet) and it's said it's from this divination that Islam would emerge, through this Ifa sort to establish Islam as a junior faith that emerged from Ifa. Another is how in the southern half of India where Islam came on the back of merchants you find the figure of Vavar who is a Muslim who is a revered companion of the Hindu god Ayyappan, Vavar is so revered by Hindus that he has is own shrine( the design of the shrine is interesting as it follows Islamic rather than Hindu motifs as it has no idols in it).

So guys I'm currently in the process of writing what will either be a whole book or a very extensive academic paper(which i hope I finish) that focuses on how Islam was adopted, reinterpreted and localized by the different communities that practiced it throughout the ages from the more scholarly traditions of Islam that would be developed in the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanid lands (where you already had scholarly traditions of religions) to the complex but different ways Islam would be introduced and interact with the dharmic cultures of the Indian subcontinent ( Southern half of the Indian subcontinent where Islam came on the back on traders and interacted relatively well with the traditional faiths there vs the northern half where Islam came on the back of armies and the relationship between Islam and the other faiths would be largely tense) to how Islam in 20th century America was viewed by some Black American groups as a better alternative to Christianity which they associated with the WASP culture that had oppressed them to the modern day where Islam is interacting with modern day cultural discourse where you have groups on the both left and right political spectrum reinterpreting Islam in their own way from Dawah Bros(who are inspired by the Red Pill movement) to Muslim progressives ( whom are inspired by progressive movements that champion inclusion and acceptance of diversity)

So I came here to ask if you guys would provide examples from your cultures that yall think are pre-Islamic practices or beliefs that have gotten an Islamic "makeover" or Islamic practices that have gotten localized in your culture, this will help me a long way with the research I'm doing. These examples can be anything for example if you are Somali you can use examples of how some clans(that probably go back before the arrival of Islam to Somalis) claim a lineage from a famous Muslim figure or if you South Asian you can provide examples of how practices like the caste system continued(despite Islam being massively egalitarian) on but under a Islamic guise( I've read that some Muslim groups have castes based on when one's ancestors converted to Islam) or how groups like the Hijras were interpreted and viewed in an Islamic lense .

Even something like how Islam was possibly propagated in your community or culture by using local motifs or symbols an example of this from southeast Asia is that when itinerant preachers went to preaching to people they would often localize certain aspects for example the surahs that mention wolves or a wolf like Surah Yusuf 12:13: would replace wolf with tiger as there are no wolves in southeast Asia. Another was the use of shadow puppets (wayang kulit) to spread Islam among the masses.

My English is not that good so I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes.

Hey guys I know that this is an ex-Muslim sub, I posted this question on the other two subs about Islam( the Islam and progressive Muslim sub) but I haven't gotten any answer so I thought I'd came here and ask if you guys during your time when yall were Muslims were there any practices or customs that seemed to come not from Islam but from your culture. Kinda of a long read below but it accurately explains what I'm asking about.

One of the most interesting things I find about Islam is how widespread It was in the pre-modern era and how the different communities that practiced it were influenced by the beilefs and world-view of Islam and in turn they would localize Islam to suit the different societies and cultures of the peoples that practiced it.

From southeast Asia in the east to West Africa in the west,Islam encountered groups that were widely different from not only the lands where it came (the Hejaz) but from each other (a nomad living in the Steppes of Central Asia a, a poet in Al Andalus, a scholar living in Timbuktu and a farmer living in the Rif mountains each lived lives that would seem alien to the other but they all shared a single faith) and when it encountered these groups it also encountered the pre Islamic culture of these groups and an interesting thing that happened here is that Islam didn't wipe away the pre Islamic culture of these groups and peoples but rather there would be a mixing between the two(the Islamic and Pre-Islamic cultures).

Where in the way Islam would be practiced in a certain region would be somewhat shaped by the pre Islamic culture and the pre-Islamic culture would over time get an "Islamic makeover" (where in folktales, cultural practices, or cultural heroes that were originally non Islamic would be viewed in a Islamic lense an example of this being Bouljoud in Morocco). A few examples of the ways above is how in the Sundanese and Javanese regions of Indonesia the pre-Islamic sea goddess Nyi Roro Kidul was reinterpreted as a powerful Jinn who is a servant of God. Another is how among the Arsi Oromo people of what is today Ethiopia the pilgrimage to the Town of Sheikh Hussein called a Ziyara by the Oromo(the tern probably originated from the Arabic word for visitation ziara) is similar to the pilgrimage(muudaa in Oromo) performed by worshipers of the traditional Oromo religion called Waaqeffanna as both pilgrims will usually carry a forked walking stick called a dhanqe, both carried gifts and sacrificial animals to the pilgrimage site and both groups of pilgrims would be given anything they want by the communities they would pass by and lastly the traditional Oromo term muudaa was used by some Muslims for the ziyara.

Another example but from the pov of other religions interacting Islam and trying to fit it within their worldview is how in the traditional religion of the Yoruba people called Ifa. Islam is said to have originated from the Orisha or god of divination called Orunmila who is said to have performed a divination for a Muslim figure( this figure is often said to be the Prophet Muhammad though in other versions its another Prophet) and it's said it's from this divination that Islam would emerge, through this Ifa sort to establish Islam as a junior faith that emerged from Ifa. Another is how in the southern half of India where Islam came on the back of merchants you find the figure of Vavar who is a Muslim who is a revered companion of the Hindu god Ayyappan, Vavar is so revered by Hindus that he has is own shrine( the design of the shrine is interesting as it follows Islamic rather than Hindu motifs as it has no idols in it).

So guys I'm currently in the process of writing what will either be a whole book or a very extensive academic paper(which i hope I finish) that focuses on how Islam was adopted, reinterpreted and localized by the different communities that practiced it throughout the ages from the more scholarly traditions of Islam that would be developed in the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanid lands (where you already had scholarly traditions of religions) to the complex but different ways Islam would be introduced and interact with the dharmic cultures of the Indian subcontinent ( Southern half of the Indian subcontinent where Islam came on the back on traders and interacted relatively well with the traditional faiths there vs the northern half where Islam came on the back of armies and the relationship between Islam and the other faiths would be largely tense) to how Islam in 20th century America was viewed by some Black American groups as a better alternative to Christianity which they associated with the WASP culture that had oppressed them to the modern day where Islam is interacting with modern day cultural discourse where you have groups on the both left and right political spectrum reinterpreting Islam in their own way from Dawah Bros(who are inspired by the Red Pill movement) to Muslim progressives ( whom are inspired by progressive movements that champion inclusion and acceptance of diversity)

So I came here to ask if you guys would provide examples from your cultures that yall think are pre-Islamic practices or beliefs that have gotten an Islamic "makeover" or Islamic practices that have gotten localized in your culture, this will help me a long way with the research I'm doing. These examples can be anything for example if you are Somali you can use examples of how some clans(that probably go back before the arrival of Islam to Somalis) claim a lineage from a famous Muslim figure or if you South Asian you can provide examples of how practices like the caste system continued(despite Islam being massively egalitarian) on but under a Islamic guise( I've read that some Muslim groups have castes based on when one's ancestors converted to Islam) or how groups like the Hijras were interpreted and viewed in an Islamic lense .

Even something like how Islam was possibly propagated in your community or culture by using local motifs or symbols an example of this from southeast Asia is that when itinerant preachers went to preaching to people they would often localize certain aspects for example the surahs that mention wolves or a wolf like Surah Yusuf 12:13: would replace wolf with tiger as there are no wolves in southeast Asia. Another was the use of shadow puppets (wayang kulit) to spread Islam among the masses.

Also this isnt restricted to Muslims if you are a non-muslim whose culture has interacted with Muslims for long time you can also share your view on how your faith has interacted with and interpreted Islam this can be from a Hindu talking about how some Muslims and Hindus revere the same religious figures and some even go to each other's shrine to a Levantine Christian talking about shared practices with their Muslim counterparts.

My English is not that good so I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes.

Kinda Long Post ahead

One of the most interesting things I find about Islam is how widespread It was in the pre-modern era and how the different communities that practiced it were influenced by the beilefs and world-view of Islam and in turn they would localize Islam to suit the different societies and cultures of the peoples that practiced it.

From southeast Asia in the east to West Africa in the west,Islam encountered groups that were widely different from not only the lands where it came (the Hejaz) but from each other (a nomad living in the Steppes of Central Asia a, a poet in Al Andalus, a scholar living in Timbuktu and a farmer living in the Rif mountains each lived lives that would seem alien to the other but they all shared a single faith) and when it encountered these groups it also encountered the pre Islamic culture of these groups and an interesting thing that happened here is that Islam didn't wipe away the pre Islamic culture of these groups and peoples but rather there would be a mixing between the two(the Islamic and Pre-Islamic cultures).

Where in the way Islam would be practiced in a certain region would be somewhat shaped by the pre Islamic culture and the pre-Islamic culture would over time get an "Islamic makeover" (where in folktales, cultural practices, or cultural heroes that were originally non Islamic would be viewed in a Islamic lense an example of this being Bouljoud in Morocco). A few examples of the ways above is how in the Sundanese and Javanese regions of Indonesia the pre-Islamic sea goddess Nyi Roro Kidul was reinterpreted as a powerful Jinn who is a servant of God. Another is how among the Arsi Oromo people of what is today Ethiopia the pilgrimage to the Town of Sheikh Hussein called a Ziyara by the Oromo(the tern probably originated from the Arabic word for visitation ziara) is similar to the pilgrimage(muudaa in Oromo) performed by worshipers of the traditional Oromo religion called Waaqeffanna as both pilgrims will usually carry a forked walking stick called a dhanqe, both carried gifts and sacrificial animals to the pilgrimage site and both groups of pilgrims would be given anything they want by the communities they would pass by and lastly the traditional Oromo term muudaa was used by some Muslims for the ziyara.

Another example but from the pov of other religions interacting Islam and trying to fit it within their worldview is how in the traditional religion of the Yoruba people called Ifa. Islam is said to have originated from the Orisha or god of divination called Orunmila who is said to have performed a divination for a Muslim figure( this figure is often said to be the Prophet Muhammad though in other versions its another Prophet) and it's said it's from this divination that Islam would emerge, through this Ifa sort to establish Islam as a junior faith that emerged from Ifa. Another is how in the southern half of India where Islam came on the back of merchants you find the figure of Vavar who is a Muslim who is a revered companion of the Hindu god Ayyappan, Vavar is so revered by Hindus that he has is own shrine( the design of the shrine is interesting as it follows Islamic rather than Hindu motifs as it has no idols in it).

So guys I'm currently in the process of writing what will either be a whole book or a very extensive academic paper(which i hope I finish) that focuses on how Islam was adopted, reinterpreted and localized by the different communities that practiced it throughout the ages from the more scholarly traditions of Islam that would be developed in the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanid lands (where you already had scholarly traditions of religions) to the complex but different ways Islam would be introduced and interact with the dharmic cultures of the Indian subcontinent ( Southern half of the Indian subcontinent where Islam came on the back on traders and interacted relatively well with the traditional faiths there vs the northern half where Islam came on the back of armies and the relationship between Islam and the other faiths would be largely tense) to how Islam in 20th century America was viewed by some Black American groups as a better alternative to Christianity which they associated with the WASP culture that had oppressed them to the modern day where Islam is interacting with modern day cultural discourse where you have groups on the both left and right political spectrum reinterpreting Islam in their own way from Dawah Bros(who are inspired by the Red Pill movement) to Muslim progressives ( whom are inspired by progressive movements that champion inclusion and acceptance of diversity)

So I came here to ask if you guys would provide examples from your cultures that yall think are pre-Islamic practices or beliefs that have gotten an Islamic "makeover" or Islamic practices that have gotten localized in your culture, this will help me a long way with the research I'm doing. These examples can be anything for example if you are Somali you can use examples of how some clans(that probably go back before the arrival of Islam to Somalis) claim a lineage from a famous Muslim figure or if you South Asian you can provide examples of how practices like the caste system continued(despite Islam being massively egalitarian) on but under a Islamic guise( I've read that some Muslim groups have castes based on when one's ancestors converted to Islam) or how groups like the Hijras were interpreted and viewed in an Islamic lense .

Even something like how Islam was possibly propagated in your community or culture by using local motifs or symbols an example of this from southeast Asia is that when itinerant preachers went to preaching to people they would often localize certain aspects for example the surahs that mention wolves or a wolf like Surah Yusuf 12:13: would replace wolf with tiger as there are no wolves in southeast Asia. Another was the use of shadow puppets (wayang kulit) to spread Islam among the masses.

Also this isnt restricted to Muslims if you are a non-muslim whose culture has interacted with Muslims for long time you can also share your view on how your faith has interacted with and interpreted Islam this can be from a Hindu talking about how some Muslims and Hindus revere the same religious figures and some even go to each other's shrine to a Levantine Christian talking about shared practices with their Muslim counterparts.

My English is not that good so I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes.

Kinda Long Post ahead

One of the most interesting things I find about Islam is how widespread It was in the pre-modern era and how the different communities that practiced it were influenced by the beilefs and world-view of Islam and in turn they would localize Islam to suit the different societies and cultures of the peoples that practiced it.

From southeast Asia in the east to West Africa in the west,Islam encountered groups that were widely different from not only the lands where it came (the Hejaz) but from each other (a nomad living in the Steppes of Central Asia a, a poet in Al Andalus, a scholar living in Timbuktu and a farmer living in the Rif mountains each lived lives that would seem alien to the other but they all shared a single faith) and when it encountered these groups it also encountered the pre Islamic culture of these groups and an interesting thing that happened here is that Islam didn't wipe away the pre Islamic culture of these groups and peoples but rather there would be a mixing between the two(the Islamic and Pre-Islamic cultures).

Where in the way Islam would be practiced in a certain region would be somewhat shaped by the pre Islamic culture and the pre-Islamic culture would over time get an "Islamic makeover" (where in folktales, cultural practices, or cultural heroes that were originally non Islamic would be viewed in a Islamic lense an example of this being Bouljoud in Morocco). A few examples of the ways above is how in the Sundanese and Javanese regions of Indonesia the pre-Islamic sea goddess Nyi Roro Kidul was reinterpreted as a powerful Jinn who is a servant of God. Another is how among the Arsi Oromo people of what is today Ethiopia the pilgrimage to the Town of Sheikh Hussein called a Ziyara by the Oromo(the tern probably originated from the Arabic word for visitation ziara) is similar to the pilgrimage(muudaa in Oromo) performed by worshipers of the traditional Oromo religion called Waaqeffanna as both pilgrims will usually carry a forked walking stick called a dhanqe, both carried gifts and sacrificial animals to the pilgrimage site and both groups of pilgrims would be given anything they want by the communities they would pass by and lastly the traditional Oromo term muudaa was used by some Muslims for the ziyara.

Another example but from the pov of other religions interacting Islam and trying to fit it within their worldview is how in the traditional religion of the Yoruba people called Ifa. Islam is said to have originated from the Orisha or god of divination called Orunmila who is said to have performed a divination for a Muslim figure( this figure is often said to be the Prophet Muhammad though in other versions its another Prophet) and it's said it's from this divination that Islam would emerge, through this Ifa sort to establish Islam as a junior faith that emerged from Ifa. Another is how in the southern half of India where Islam came on the back of merchants you find the figure of Vavar who is a Muslim who is a revered companion of the Hindu god Ayyappan, Vavar is so revered by Hindus that he has is own shrine( the design of the shrine is interesting as it follows Islamic rather than Hindu motifs as it has no idols in it).

So guys I'm currently in the process of writing what will either be a whole book or a very extensive academic paper(which i hope I finish) that focuses on how Islam was adopted, reinterpreted and localized by the different communities that practiced it throughout the ages from the more scholarly traditions of Islam that would be developed in the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanid lands (where you already had scholarly traditions of religions) to the complex but different ways Islam would be introduced and interact with the dharmic cultures of the Indian subcontinent ( Southern half of the Indian subcontinent where Islam came on the back on traders and interacted relatively well with the traditional faiths there vs the northern half where Islam came on the back of armies and the relationship between Islam and the other faiths would be largely tense) to how Islam in 20th century America was viewed by some Black American groups as a better alternative to Christianity which they associated with the WASP culture that had oppressed them to the modern day where Islam is interacting with modern day cultural discourse where you have groups on the both left and right political spectrum reinterpreting Islam in their own way from Dawah Bros(who are inspired by the Red Pill movement) to Muslim progressives ( whom are inspired by progressive movements that champion inclusion and acceptance of diversity)

So I came here to ask if you guys would provide examples from your cultures that yall think are pre-Islamic practices or beliefs that have gotten an Islamic "makeover" or Islamic practices that have gotten localized in your culture, this will help me a long way with the research I'm doing. These examples can be anything for example if you are Somali you can use examples of how some clans(that probably go back before the arrival of Islam to Somalis) claim a lineage from a famous Muslim figure or if you South Asian you can provide examples of how practices like the caste system continued(despite Islam being massively egalitarian) on but under a Islamic guise( I've read that some Muslim groups have castes based on when one's ancestors converted to Islam) or how groups like the Hijras were interpreted and viewed in an Islamic lense .

Even something like how Islam was possibly propagated in your community or culture by using local motifs or symbols an example of this from southeast Asia is that when itinerant preachers went to preaching to people they would often localize certain aspects for example the surahs that mention wolves or a wolf like Surah Yusuf 12:13: would replace wolf with tiger as there are no wolves in southeast Asia. Another was the use of shadow puppets (wayang kulit) to spread Islam among the masses.

Also this isnt restricted to Muslims if you are a non-muslim whose culture has interacted with Muslims for long time you can also share your view on how your faith has interacted with and interpreted Islam this can be from a Hindu talking about how some Muslims and Hindus revere the same religious figures and some even go to each other's shrine to a Levantine Christian talking about shared practices with their Muslim counterparts.

My English is not that good so I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes.

Kinda Long Post ahead

One of the most interesting things I find about Islam is how widespread It was in the pre-modern era and how the different communities that practiced it were influenced by the beilefs and world-view of Islam and in turn they would localize Islam to suit the different societies and cultures of the peoples that practiced it.

From southeast Asia in the east to West Africa in the west,Islam encountered groups that were widely different from not only the lands where it came (the Hejaz) but from each other (a nomad living in the Steppes of Central Asia a, a poet in Al Andalus, a scholar living in Timbuktu and a farmer living in the Rif mountains each lived lives that would seem alien to the other but they all shared a single faith) and when it encountered these groups it also encountered the pre Islamic culture of these groups and an interesting thing that happened here is that Islam didn't wipe away the pre Islamic culture of these groups and peoples but rather there would be a mixing between the two(the Islamic and Pre-Islamic cultures).

Where in the way Islam would be practiced in a certain region would be somewhat shaped by the pre Islamic culture and the pre-Islamic culture would over time get an "Islamic makeover" (where in folktales, cultural practices, or cultural heroes that were originally non Islamic would be viewed in a Islamic lense an example of this being Bouljoud in Morocco). A few examples of the ways above is how in the Sundanese and Javanese regions of Indonesia the pre-Islamic sea goddess Nyi Roro Kidul was reinterpreted as a powerful Jinn who is a servant of God. Another is how among the Arsi Oromo people of what is today Ethiopia the pilgrimage to the Town of Sheikh Hussein called a Ziyara by the Oromo(the tern probably originated from the Arabic word for visitation ziara) is similar to the pilgrimage(muudaa in Oromo) performed by worshipers of the traditional Oromo religion called Waaqeffanna as both pilgrims will usually carry a forked walking stick called a dhanqe, both carried gifts and sacrificial animals to the pilgrimage site and both groups of pilgrims would be given anything they want by the communities they would pass by and lastly the traditional Oromo term muudaa was used by some Muslims for the ziyara.

Another example but from the pov of other religions interacting Islam and trying to fit it within their worldview is how in the traditional religion of the Yoruba people called Ifa. Islam is said to have originated from the Orisha or god of divination called Orunmila who is said to have performed a divination for a Muslim figure( this figure is often said to be the Prophet Muhammad though in other versions its another Prophet) and it's said it's from this divination that Islam would emerge, through this Ifa sort to establish Islam as a junior faith that emerged from Ifa. Another is how in the southern half of India where Islam came on the back of merchants you find the figure of Vavar who is a Muslim who is a revered companion of the Hindu god Ayyappan, Vavar is so revered by Hindus that he has is own shrine( the design of the shrine is interesting as it follows Islamic rather than Hindu motifs as it has no idols in it).

So guys I'm currently in the process of writing what will either be a whole book or a very extensive academic paper(which i hope I finish) that focuses on how Islam was adopted, reinterpreted and localized by the different communities that practiced it throughout the ages from the more scholarly traditions of Islam that would be developed in the lands of the former Byzantine and Sassanid lands (where you already had scholarly traditions of religions) to the complex but different ways Islam would be introduced and interact with the dharmic cultures of the Indian subcontinent ( Southern half of the Indian subcontinent where Islam came on the back on traders and interacted relatively well with the traditional faiths there vs the northern half where Islam came on the back of armies and the relationship between Islam and the other faiths would be largely tense) to how Islam in 20th century America was viewed by some Black American groups as a better alternative to Christianity which they associated with the WASP culture that had oppressed them to the modern day where Islam is interacting with modern day cultural discourse where you have groups on the both left and right political spectrum reinterpreting Islam in their own way from Dawah Bros(who are inspired by the Red Pill movement) to Muslim progressives ( whom are inspired by progressive movements that champion inclusion and acceptance of diversity)

So I came here to ask if you guys would provide examples from your cultures that yall think are pre-Islamic practices or beliefs that have gotten an Islamic "makeover" or Islamic practices that have gotten localized in your culture, this will help me a long way with the research I'm doing. These examples can be anything for example if you are Somali you can use examples of how some clans(that probably go back before the arrival of Islam to Somalis) claim a lineage from a famous Muslim figure or if you South Asian you can provide examples of how practices like the caste system continued(despite Islam being massively egalitarian) on but under a Islamic guise( I've read that some Muslim groups have castes based on when one's ancestors converted to Islam) or how groups like the Hijras were interpreted and viewed in an Islamic lense .

Even something like how Islam was possibly propagated in your community or culture by using local motifs or symbols an example of this from southeast Asia is that when itinerant preachers went to preaching to people they would often localize certain aspects for example the surahs that mention wolves or a wolf like Surah Yusuf 12:13: would replace wolf with tiger as there are no wolves in southeast Asia. Another was the use of shadow puppets (wayang kulit) to spread Islam among the masses.

Also this isnt restricted to Muslims if you are a non-muslim whose culture has interacted with Muslims for long time you can also share your view on how your faith has interacted with and interpreted Islam this can be from a Hindu talking about how some Muslims and Hindus revere the same religious figures and some even go to each other's shrine to a Levantine Christian talking about shared practices with their Muslim counterparts.

My English is not that good so I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes.