Arabic for right-wingers
The actual meanings for the following terms are provided, as well as context and descriptions of how they are used & abused:
• dhimmi
• jihad
• taqiyya
• Shariah
• madrassa
• Allah
Thank you, Salon & Justin Elliot.
The blogger Pamela Geller and Newt Gingrich
In ominous tones, Islamophobes toss around terms like “taqiyya” and “Shariah.” Do they even know what they mean?
In a now infamous column, the writer Eliana Benador argued this week that Anthony Weiner (who is a Jew) may have converted to Islam but was hiding it from the world in accordance with the practice of “taqiyya.”
“It is also important, when looking at this situation, to remember that observant Muslims practice taqiyya, an element of sharia that states there is a legal right and duty to distort the truth to promote the cause of Islam,” Benador wrote.
In invoking the Arabic term “taqiyya,” Benador exemplified a practice we’ve noticed in the past few years. It’s become common for right-wing writers and even politicians to matter-of-factly toss around Arabic terminology when warning of the Muslim threat to America. These references, often made in ominous tones, are almost always without context.
So we thought it would be useful to hear explanations of terms like “taqiyya” from an expert. John Esposito, university professor at Georgetown and author of “What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam,” was kind enough to explain six of the more common Islamic terms we’ve been hearing. Esposito wrote the “What it actually means” items below, following my introductions.
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Frank says: