# Omar Khalidi

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.

## Early life and education

Khalidi was born in 1953 in Hyderabad, India. He was of Hadhrami descent.

## Career

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

## Scholar

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

### Media contribution

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.

### Books

His books include:
| 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

Khalidi died on 29 November 2010, in a train accident at Kendall Square, MBTA station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 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 in Boston, United States His funeral prayers were held at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center in Roxbury.
He was survived by his wife Nigar Khalidi and his daughter Aliya.