RE: Bin Laden's Statement

From: Wade T. Smith (wade_smith@harvard.edu)
Date: Sat Nov 10 2001 - 02:41:56 GMT

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From: "Wade T. Smith" <wade_smith@harvard.edu>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Bin Laden's Statement
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2001 21:41:56 -0500
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    Hi Philip --

    >If Bin Laden stresses that there is no God but only Allah, why did he end
    >his statement with: (or did the translator make an error?)
    >
    >"God bear witness that I have conveyed the message. God bear witness that
    >I have conveyed the message. God bear witness that I have conveyed the
    >message.
    >
    >God's peace and blessings be upon you"

    'God' and 'Allah' are interchangeable, kinda like 'Earth' being the name
    any inhabitant would call his native planet, 'Terra' notwithstanding. I
    found it very pointedly significant that 'God' was used instead of
    'Allah' in the text, so that I could say that saying 'God bless America'
    was saying something equally as dogmatically ignorant.

    But, also, most mentions of Allah or of Muhammed _must_ be followed by
    defined phrases, and there are litanies for openings and closings of
    speeches as well.

    Consistency being, of course, the hobgoblin of small minds.

    - Wade

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