taqiyah: Meaning and Definition of

ta•qi•yah

Pronunciation: (tu-kē'yu), [key]
— n.
  1. the practice of denying one's religion, permissible when one is faced with persecution, esp. by Sunnites: regarded as a means of protecting the religion.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.