Mullah

A mullah (Persian ملا ) is a religious leader in the Islamic faith.

Ideally, a mullah should have studied the Qur'an, Islamic traditions and Islamic law and will often know the Qur'an by heart. However, uneducated villagers often recognise a literate Muslim with a less-than-complete Islamic training as their "mullah" or religious cleric. Muslim schoolteachers are also often referred to as mullahs.

The term is frequently used in English, although English-speaking Muslim clergy rarely call themselves mullahs, preferring the Arabic word imam which means "prayer leader". It was adopted from Urdu by the British rulers of India and subsequently came into more widespread use. In English it may carry overtones of condescension and disrespect; it is often found in the phrase "mad mullah".

One of Mohammed Zaganada's titles is Mullah of the Islamic Federation.