The word “colonial” appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak in 2010. Today the opening carries none. 2 remain further down the article, where a reader arriving from a search result does not go.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-02. “colonial” appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 2.
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The opening as it read in 2010
Sri Lankan Moors (commonly referred to as Muslims ) are the third largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka comprising 8% of the country's total population (approx. 2 million people in 2005).1 They are predominantly followers of Islam. The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who settled in Sri Lanka some time between the eighth and fifteenth centuries.2The Arabic language brought by the early merchants is no longer spoken, though many Arabic words and phrases are still commonly used. Until the recent past, the Moors employed Arwi as their native language, though this is also extinct as a spoken language.3Moors today use Tamil as their primary language with influence from Arabic.4Those from central and southern Sri Lanka also widely use Sinhala , an Indo-European language spoken by the ethnic Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Moors lived primarily in coastal trading and agricultural communities, preserving their Islamic cultural heritage while adopting many Southern Asian customs. During the period of Portuguese colonisation, the Moors suffered widespread persecution, and many fled to the Central Highlands and the East Coast , where their descendants remain.5
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 369042889.
The opening as it stood in 2015 7 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Ethnic group Sri Lankan Moors ( Tamil : இலங்கைச் சோனகர், commonly referred to as Muslims ) are the third largest community in Sri Lanka , comprising 9.23% of the country's total population.They are native speakers of the Tamil language and predominantly followers of Islam.The Tamil term for Muslims in Sri Lanka is சோனகர் (Sonagar) or சோனி (Sooni) probably derived from Sunni .While some sources describe them as a subset of the Tamil people who had adopted Islam as their religion and spoke Tamil as their mother tongue, which they continue to do so, other sources trace their ancestry to Arab traders ( Moors ) who settled in Sri Lanka some time between the 8th and 15th centuries. Moors today use Tamil as their primary language, with influence from Arabic. One of the oldest mosques in Sri Lanka.It is believed to be the site where the first Arabs landed in Sri Lanka .Census of Population & Housing, 2011 .Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.Contributions to Indian Sociology : 433– 483 ."Genetic Variation in Sri Lanka". 68 (5): 707–737 [709].JSTOR 41465515 . : Cite journal requires |journal= ( help ) ; Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored ( |author= suggested) ( help ) de Munck, Victor (2005).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668324424.
The opening as it stood in 2020 10 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Ethnic group Sri Lankan Moors ( ; ; formerly Ceylon Moors ; colloquially referred to as Muslims or Moors ) are an ethnic minority group in Sri Lanka , comprising 9.2% of the country's total population.They are mainly native speakers of the Tamil language with influence of Sinhalese and Arabic words.They are predominantly followers of Islam .The Sri Lankan Muslim community is divided as Sri Lankan Moors, Indian Moors and Sri Lankan Malays as per their history and traditions.The Moors trace their ancestry to Arab traders who first settled in Sri Lanka around the 9th century who intermarried with local women.The population of Moors are the highest in the Ampara , Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts. Census of Population & Housing, 2011 .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 962642568.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Muslim ethnic minority in Sri Lanka Ethnic group Sri Lankan Moors ( ; Arwi : اَیلَࢳَیچْ چٗونَكَرْ ; ; formerly Ceylon Moors ; colloquially referred to as Sri Lankan Muslims ) are an ethnic minority group in Sri Lanka , comprising 9.3% of the country's total population.Most of them are native speakers of the Tamil language.Majority of Moors who aren’t native to the North and East also speak Sinhalese as a second language. They are predominantly followers of Islam . The Sri Lankan Muslim community is mostly divided as Sri Lankan Moors, Indian Moors , Sri Lankan Malays and Sri Lankan Bohras depending on their lineage, language, history, culture and traditions.The Sri Lankan Moors are of diverse origins with some tracing their ancestry to Arab traders who first settled in Sri Lanka around the 9th century, and who intermarried with local Tamil and Sinhala women.Recent genetic studies, however, have suggested a predominant Indian origin for Moors compared to the Arab origin speculated by some.(2021) in their genetic analysis of the Moors stated the following in their report: " In contrast, Sri Lankan Moors have descended exclusively from Muslim male merchants of either Arabic or of Indian origin, who came to Sri Lanka for trading.During the fourteenth century, they started to settle in coastal areas in Sri Lanka and espoused local women, who were either Sinhalese or Sri Lankan Tamil ".The concentration of Moors is the highest in the Ampara , Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts. Census of Population & Housing, 2011 . Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs . 17 (2)."X-chromosomal STR based genetic polymorphisms and demographic history of Sri Lankan ethnicities and their relationship with global populations" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1175886352.
The opening as it stood in 2025 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Muslim ethnic minority in Sri Lanka Ethnic group Sri Lankan Moors ( Tamil : இலங்கைச் சோனகர் , romanized: Ilaṅkaic Cōṉakar ; Arwi : اَیلَࢳَیچْ چٗونَكَرْ ; Sinhala : ලංකා යෝනක , romanized: Lanka Yonaka ; formerly Ceylon Moors ; colloquially referred to as Sri Lankan Muslims ) are an ethnic minority group in Sri Lanka , comprising 9.3% of the country's total population. Most of them are native speakers of the Tamil language. The majority of Moors who are not native to Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern provinces also speak Sinhalese as a second language. They are predominantly followers of Islam . These groups are differentiated by lineage, language, history, culture and traditions. The Sri Lankan Moors are of diverse origins with some tracing their ancestry to Arab traders who first settled in Sri Lanka around the 9th century, and who intermarried with local Tamil and Sinhala women. Recent genetic studies, however, have suggested a predominant Indian origin for Moors compared to the Arab origin speculated by some. (2021) in their genetic analysis of the Moors stated the following in their report: " In contrast, Sri Lankan Moors have descended exclusively from Muslim male merchants of either Arabic or of Indian origin, who came to Sri Lanka for trading. During the fourteenth century, they started to settle in coastal areas in Sri Lanka and espoused local women, who were either Sinhalese or Sri Lankan Tamil ". The concentration of Moors is the highest in the Ampara , Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts. Census of Population & Housing, 2011 . Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs . 17 (2). "X-chromosomal STR based genetic polymorphisms and demographic history of Sri Lankan ethnicities and their relationship with global populations" .
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Today
“colonial” appeared 1 times in this article's opening at its peak. Today the opening has none; the body has 2. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined between 2010 and 2020.
Then
third largest ethnic group in sri lanka comprising 8% of the country's total population
Now
ethnic minority group in sri lanka
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
