The mass media often uses the off-the-shelf translation of Allahu akbar, saying that the Islamic war cry means ‘God is great’!
WRONG!
Allah is not the same as the GOD, Christians and Jews and people of other faiths worship and believe in.
It’s the utter ignorance or laziness on the part of editors or journalists that results in the general public being misled. Here is the correct translation; and I will include the reason why terrorists who self-identify as Muslims yell it just before an act of depraved violence.
But first, a little language lesson in Arabic! The conjugation of the adjective ‘great’ in English is as follows: great / greater / greatest. In Arabic, the conjugation of the same adjective is kabir / akbar / al akbar.
So, if you want to say ‘Allah is great’ in Arabic, you say “Allahu kabir!” However, terrorists who self-identify as Muslims yell, “Allahu akbar”, which means “Allah is greater”. Greater than what? Well, your god or gods, of course. And there is a history attached to their antiquated mentality that believes yelling “Allah is greater” proves their superiority.
In the Ancient World, conquered states believed that they had lost because their gods were weaker than those of the victors. Almost always, the temples of the gods on the losing side were destroyed and new temples to house the gods of the victors were erected in their place. For thousands of years, this tradition was respected and repeated. So, bearing in mind that Islam was founded 1,400 years ago in the Middle East, a place where armies swept back and forth and kingdoms rose and fell for thousands of years, it is not surprising that this world-view is evidenced in the Islamic war cry of “Allahu akbar”!
And like in the Ancient World, there are many examples of Islam building victory Mosques to stamp their authority on a defeated people......
In Nablus, for example there is An-Nasr Mosque, which translates literally as the ‘Victory Mosque’.
The Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is built on top of one of the holiest sites in Judaism, the Temple Mount.
Temple of Lord Rama, a Hindu god in Ayodhya was also destroyed to build a mosque. That case is going to settle after 491 years of struggle by Hindus to worship on their holy site.
The former St. Sophia’s Basilica (also known as Hagia Sophia), once the world’s largest Cathedrals and orthodox patriarchal Basilica, was converted to be the principal Mosque of Istanbul (now a museum).
The Cordoba Mosque in Spain was a former Christian cathedral.
Muslims have engaged in this practice for centuries, symbolizing their victories over infidels.
And just in case someone has told you that Allahu Akbar is just one of many harmless sayings in Arabic, remember that the parting words of the brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, as they left the blood-soaked Charlie Hebdo offices were …………? Yes, you guessed it!
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