Majlis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Majlis (also spelled Majalis or Mejlis, Arabic: مجلس),(Persian:مجلس or شورا) is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting" used to describe various types of formal legislative assemblies in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries. Also it is the equivalent of the term legislature in some Islamic-culture states. Majlis is also a common term used for a special gathering in remembrance of Husayn ibn Ali, the son of Ali and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
[edit] Legislatures
- Azerbaijan - Milli Məclis
- Indonesia - The People's Consultative Assembly of Indonesia is known as Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat
- Iran - Majlis of Iran
- Kazakhstan - Majilis
- Kuwait - The National Assembly of Kuwait is the Majlis-al-Umma
- Maldives - Majlis of the Maldives
- Oman - Majlis of Oman
- Pakistan - The Parliament of Pakistan is known as the Majlis-e-Shoora
- Saudi Arabia - Majlis of Saudi Arabia
- Turkey - Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi
- Turkmenistan - Halk Maslahaty and Majlis
- Uzbekistan - The Oliy Majlis
[edit] Other uses
- Majlis is also an Arabic term for a room in a private home used to entertain family and guests. In some homes there is a women's Majlis and a men's Majlis. It shares its grammatical root with the verb meaning 'to sit,' جلس jalasa (cf. British English 'sitting room').
- Majlis is also used to mean a salon (musical or scientific), especially during the Abbasid era e.g. for discussing the recent translations from Greek (Ref: Melvyn Bragg's "In Our Time" broadcast, BBC Radio 4, 2 October 2008). This sense is sometimes now distinguished as an "adabi majlis" ("artistic majlis").

