List of Sri Lankan Moors

This is a list of Sri Lankan Moors. Sri Lankan Moors (; formerly Ceylon Moors; colloquially referred to as Muslims or Moors) are the minority ethnic group in Sri Lanka, comprising 9.3% of the country's total population. They are mainly native speakers of the Tamil language with influence of Sinhalese and Arabic words, however, some of them use Sinhalese as their native tongue. They are predominantly followers of Islam.
The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka in waves beginning from the 8th century. The population of Moors are the highest in the Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts.
The Portuguese named the Muslims in India and Sri Lanka after the Muslim Moors they met in Iberia. The word "Moors" did not exist in Sri Lanka before the arrival of the Portuguese colonists. The term 'Moor' was chosen because of the Islamic faith of these people, and was not a reflection of their origin.
The Tamil term for Moors is "Sonakar", which is thought to be derived from the word "sunni". The Tamil term "Sonakar" along with the Sinhalese term "Yonaka", has been thought to have been derived from the term "Yona", a term originally applied to Greeks, but sometimes also Arabs.
Native headmen of Ceylon.
Native headmen of Ceylon - The Native headmen system was an integral part of the administration of the island of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) under the successive European colonial powers, namely the Portuguese Empire, the Dutch East India Company and the British Empire. Native headmen or leaders where appointed by the European colonial administrators to function as intermediates between the Europeans and the native populous. During different periods through this system these headmen functioned in military, policing, administrative and ceremonial capacities. They served as translators, revenue collectors and wielded quasi-judicial powers. Much of the system evolved and changed over time until some of the last vestiges of it were removed in the post-independent Ceylon.
Military.
Sri Lanka Army.
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