“...especially if such people happen to be Moslem...”
I am glad to see that you used the correct word. Most people would have used the word “Muslim” which is currently the politically correct word being used today.
You, my friend, used the correct word.
According to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, “Moslem and Muslim are basically two different spellings for the same word.” But the seemingly arbitrary choice of spellings is a sensitive subject for many followers of Islam. Whereas for most English speakers, the two words are synonymous in meaning, the Arabic roots of the two words are very different. A Muslim in Arabic means “one who gives himself to God,” and is by definition, someone who adheres to Islam. By contrast, a Moslem in Arabic means “one who is evil and unjust” when the word is pronounced, as it is in English, Mozlem with a z.
Very interesting! I did not know all those details. I have a personal rule about Anglicization of foreign words: if there’s a spelling that’s been in use a long time, such as “Moslem,” changing it probably involves PC sensitivity.
If we’re friendly and I feel like respecting the sensitivity, I might, for example, go along with calling Bombay “Mumbai,” dumb as that looks. However, if it’s our enemies, FReep ‘em. I’ll call them Moslems and their founder Mahomet.
I prefer “Mohammedan”. Both “Moslem” and “Muslim” provide the veneer of an actual legitimate belief system, when what we’re dealing with here is a made-up religion constructed by a delusional fanatic with a penchant for polygamy.
” By contrast, a Moslem in Arabic means “one who is evil and unjust”
Didn’t know that. I’ll start using the “Moslem” spelling when appropriate.