Omar Khalidi (1953 – 29 November 2010), born in Hyderabad, India, was a Muslim scholar, a staff member of MIT in the US, and an author.

Omar Khalidi
Born1953
Died29 November 2010(2010-11-29) (aged 56–57)
Boston, USA
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndian, USA
Academic background
Alma materMadrassa-e-Aaaliyah,
Wichita State University
Harvard University
University of Wales Lampeter
Academic work
EraModern era
Main interestsMinority groups rights, military history
InfluencedSociology of politics, ethnic groups, nationalism

Early life and education

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Khalidi was born in 1953 in Hyderabad, India. He was of Hadhrami descent.[1][2]

Career

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He is referred to by one commentator as the "Chronicler of Hyderabad and as a champion of minority rights".[1] He was considered an international relations builder.[3][4]

Scholar

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His best known book is Hyderabad after the fall (book)|Hyderabad: After the Fall published in 1990.[1]

Media contribution

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Khalidi served as a regional Vice-President of American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin, and was an active participant in the various activities of all other Indian Muslim organisations in the USA and Canada. His articles were published regularly in the MetroWest Daily News and he was an active columnist for various other journals, writing for the Economic and Political Weekly, The Outlook, India Abroad, Two Circles and other print and internet media.[3]

Books

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His books include:[4][5][6]

Published Year Book Name Publisher
1981 The British Residents at the Court of the Nizams of Hyderabad Hyderabad Historical Society.
1985 Hyderabad State Under the Nizams, 1724–1948: A Bibliography of Monographic and Periodical Literature Hyderabad Historical Society.
1987 Deccan Under the Sultans, 1296–1724: A Bibliography of Monographic and Periodical Literature Hyderabad Historical Society.
1988 African Diaspora in India: The Case of the Habashis of Deccan Hamdard National Foundation.
1988 Hyderabad After the Fall Hyderabad Historical Society.
1990 Indian Muslims in North America South Asia Press.
1991 Factors in Muslim Electability to Lok Sabha Harvard University Press.
1991 Memoirs of Cyril Jones: People, Society, and Railways in Hyderabad Manohar Publications.
1992 Shama-e-Faroozan: Chand Ilmi Aur Adabi Shakhsiyatoon Ke Halaat-e-Zindagi Aur Karname Azmi and Sons.
1994 Memoirs of Sidney Cotton South Asia Press.
1995 Islamic Literature in the Deccani Languages: Kannada, Marathi, & Telugu Hyderabad Historical Society.
1997 Hadhrami Role in the Politics and Society of Colonial India, 1750–1950 in Freitag and Clearance-Smith: Hadhrami Scholar, Traders and Statesmen of the Indian Ocean, 1750–1960. Brill Publisher, the Netherlands.
1998 Subsequent-e-Hyderabad: Chashm Deed Aur Muasir Tahreeron Par Mushtamil Manzar Aur Pesh Manzar (Edited with Dr. Muinuddin Aqil) All India Majlis Tameer-e-Millat.
1999 Romance of the Golconda Diamonds Mapin Publishing.
1999 Approaches to Mosque Design in North America MIT.
1999 The Architecture and Campus Planning of Osmania University MIT.
1999 American Architecture of Islamic Inspiration MIT.
2003 A Guide to Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu Manuscript Libraries in India Middle East Librarians Association.
2003 Khaki and Ethnic Violence in India: Army, Police, and Paramilitary Forces During Communal Riots Three Essays Press.
2004 Between Muslim Nationalists and Nationalist Muslims: Maududi’s Thoughts on Indian Muslims Institute of Objective Studies.
2004 The British Residency in Hyderabad: An Outpost of the Raj (1779–1948) British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia.
2006 An Indian Passage to Europe: The Travels of Fath Nawaz Jang Oxford University Press.
2006 Muslims in the Deccan: A Historical Survey Global Media Publications.
2006 Muslims in Indian Economy Three Essays Collective.
2006 Khaki and Ethnic Violence in India-2 Three Essays Collective.
2006 A Guide to Architecture in Hyderabad, Deccan, India Three Essays Collective.

Death

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Khalidi died on 29 November 2010, in a train accident at Kendall Square, MBTA station in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[7][8] His family published a statement in the Arab News on 30 November 2010: Khalidi drove in his car to the MIT campus and was probably trying to catch a train to buy medicine at the next station. He was diabetic, and it seems his sugar level had reached abnormal levels and he was hit by a train[8] in Boston, United States[2] His funeral prayers were held at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury.[7]

He was survived by his wife Nigar Khalidi and his daughter Aliya.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Mohammed Ayub Khan (16 December 2010). "Omar Khalidi (1953–2010) Chronicler of Hyderabad and Champion of Minority Rights". Radiance Views Weekly. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Remembering Omar Khalidi". 30 November 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary: Omer Khalidi". The Muslim Observer. 2 December 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Dr. Omar Khalidi Visited Ufa and Chelyabinsk and Discussed Muslim Life in America". Consulate General of the United States – Yekaterinburg, Russia. 18 April 2004. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011.
  5. ^ KHAKI AND ETHNIC VIOLENCE IN INDIA. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Omar Khalidi, Chronicler of Hyderabad and Champion of Minority Rights Is No More". 30 November 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Wayland man identified in MBTA station death". metrowestdailynews.com. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  8. ^ a b c "Indian Muslim Scholar Dies in Boston". 30 November 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
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