🧵 Quick Thread! 🧵 Orientalism, Islamophobia, and 'inshallah' -- how language translation today both reflects, and continues to transmit, the anti-Muslim stereotypes inherent to Western imperial logic and colonial domination in the so-called Middle East. 1/12

Kevin Kretsch (DrKev)@kevinkretsch.com · 2w ago

Definitions of orientalism vary, of course, but I would have said it just old fashioned Islamophobia as much than orientalism: the implication is that any one who says “Inshallah” is explicitly invoking God and so all Muslims are all religious extremists intent on destroying “the west”/white people.

Yay to people willing to explain stuff! I admit I saw this conversation and rolled my eyes instead of even considering writing a similar thread from my own experience. Trying to learn from this generosity of spirit.

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · last wk.

🧵 Quick Thread! 🧵 Orientalism, Islamophobia, and 'inshallah' -- how language translation today both reflects, and continues to transmit, the anti-Muslim stereotypes inherent to Western imperial logic and colonial domination in the so-called Middle East. 1/12

Excellent thread. Thank you!

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · last wk.

🧵 Quick Thread! 🧵 Orientalism, Islamophobia, and 'inshallah' -- how language translation today both reflects, and continues to transmit, the anti-Muslim stereotypes inherent to Western imperial logic and colonial domination in the so-called Middle East. 1/12

🧵 Quick Thread! 🧵 Orientalism, Islamophobia, and 'inshallah' -- how language translation today both reflects, and continues to transmit, the anti-Muslim stereotypes inherent to Western imperial logic and colonial domination in the so-called Middle East. 1/12

Kevin Kretsch (DrKev)@kevinkretsch.com · 2w ago

Definitions of orientalism vary, of course, but I would have said it just old fashioned Islamophobia as much than orientalism: the implication is that any one who says “Inshallah” is explicitly invoking God and so all Muslims are all religious extremists intent on destroying “the west”/white people.

TIL

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

This shit right here. Example: The Spanish colloquialism “ojalá” (meaning “hopefully”) derives, by way of Old Castilian, (“oxalá”) from “inshallah.” This usage dates back to 1424, and demonstrates Arabic’s lasting influence on Spain — well after the so-called Islamic Golden Age of Al Andalus.

Someone told me about Clearsky and I finally figured out why my Bluesky reach is so limited: Really stupid block / mute lists that appear to be created for malicious, inaccurate labeling. Here are some of my favorites: (Alt-text isn’t letting me use it right now for some reason, apologies)

UPDATE: someone finally sent me origin story lore screenshots of this madness and I want to write a Substack on it — but I’m going to edit out the OP’s name because I don’t know them and my beef isn’t personal, just a factual critique of how hilarious and exhaustingly stupid the whole debate is

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

I just learned of the Discourse (tm) about how white people saying “inshallah” is counterrevolutionary cultural appropriation I know I’m late here, but thought I’d add my thoughts as a former Arabic professor: That’s stupid and no way in hell that whoever started it actually speaks Arabic

“yeah the Mona Lisa is beautiful but have you ever contemplated slavery”

Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com · 2w ago

We admire great works of art, architecture and engineering. Why not debt?

And ironically, the thrilled reaction of Arabs / Muslims when a white person uses those phrases says so much about hegemonic power dynamics. For ex: go to Cairo, take a cab, and say “I’m going to X address, inshallah” 95% chance cabbie gets crazy excited and says “WOW your Arabic is GREAT” 1/2

Chad Loder@chadloder.dev · 2w ago

Learning Other Languages Is Cultural Appropriation

Cleric 1: covers his eyes, shakes his head and tut-tuts “AstaghfirAllah” (God forgive me [for objectifying her with such lust] Cleric 2: can’t stop staring and says “mashallah” (God protect it [wow, her beauty]) Cleric 3: licks his lips, winks, and mutters… “inshallah” (you get the idea here) 2/2

Here’s a joke I used on my Intro Middle East / Arabic 101 students to rid them of the weird Orientalist literal translation fixation with the many (common in secular use) phrases that include “Allah”: Three old religious scholars are sitting on a park bench and a super hot chick walks past. 1/

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

PPS if you use “inshallah” as a punchline, you’re literally honoring Arab and Muslim culture because it’s used that way ALL THE TIME. For ex, popular joke during the so-called “arab spring”: “Mubarak / Gaddafi / Ben Ali (etc) announced he will step down… inshallah.” bsky.app/profile/msen...

Here’s a joke I used on my Intro Middle East / Arabic 101 students to rid them of the weird Orientalist literal translation fixation with the many (common in secular use) phrases that include “Allah”: Three old religious scholars are sitting on a park bench and a super hot chick walks past. 1/

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

PPS if you use “inshallah” as a punchline, you’re literally honoring Arab and Muslim culture because it’s used that way ALL THE TIME. For ex, popular joke during the so-called “arab spring”: “Mubarak / Gaddafi / Ben Ali (etc) announced he will step down… inshallah.” bsky.app/profile/msen...

PPS if you use “inshallah” as a punchline, you’re literally honoring Arab and Muslim culture because it’s used that way ALL THE TIME. For ex, popular joke during the so-called “arab spring”: “Mubarak / Gaddafi / Ben Ali (etc) announced he will step down… inshallah.” bsky.app/profile/msen...

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

Anyway, my takeaway from the whole “inshallah is cultural appropriation” nonsense is: More people should learn Arabic; not only is it a beautiful, useful, and wildly expressive language, but also — — learning it will actually help you be less racist and stupid about Arabs and Muslims.

This is a good one, and reminds me to warn y’all: Saying “alcohol” is appropriation. From Arabic: al-kuhl, or “fine powder,” originally a term for traditional eyeliner, later used in alchemy to denote “refined substance” / aka “essence,” and adopted into English for “spirits” (aka “liquor”).

Spongebob The More You Know

Alt: Spongebob The More You Knowspongebob doing the “more you know” rainbow meme

static.klipy.com

Ryan 🏳️‍🌈@pyry.lutefisk.online · 2w ago

don't talk to me before i've had my.... human caffinated black bean beveraaaaaaaaage coffee: from dutch koffie, from Italian caffè, from Ottoman Turkish قهوه (kahve), from Arabic قَهْوَة (qahwa) en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coffee

Ok so if you’re going to pop up in my replies trying to correct my translations and explanations of Arabic phrases, you should probably know Arabic, just an idea

Anyway, my view on the “inshallah is cultural appropriation” (see my whole TL today) nonsense is: More people should learn Arabic; not only is it a beautiful, useful, and wildly expressive language, but also — — learning it will actually help you be less racist and stupid about Arabs and Muslims.

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

I just learned of the Discourse (tm) about how white people saying “inshallah” is counterrevolutionary cultural appropriation I know I’m late here, but thought I’d add my thoughts as a former Arabic professor: That’s stupid and no way in hell that whoever started it actually speaks Arabic

Precisely — and the stupid appropriation discourse reminds me of islamophobes who flip out over “Allahu Akbar” thinking it’s a DECLARATION OF JIHAD Muslims use “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) all the damn time for the most banal shit, like “thank God, I finally found my car keys”

@arabbookworm.bsky.social · 2w ago

Yes. Its a culturally Arab expression that spans a whole gamut.

There’s an element of Orientalism in typical translation of inshallah. “If God wills it” is too literal — most accurate (as used) is “hopefully.” Useful analogy: Interpreting “Thank God” in English as “All Praise to the Most Holy Almighty Divine” and concluding “wow Americans are so pious!”

Alaskan Weeb@alaskanweeb.bsky.social · 2w ago

I’d just translate it as “Lord willing” but maybe some people don’t hear that phrase very much?

Persians vs Arabs is NEXT LEVEL - my former MIL only spoke Persian. When she’d visit from Iran, she’d say crazy racist shit about me to my ex-husband — she couldn’t wrap her head around why I speak Persian w/ an Arabic accent and she was old as hell so it didn’t occur to her that I understood, lmao

LastThird@lastthird.bsky.social · 2w ago

Flashback to the time a colleague -- a genuinely nice and affable guy -- explained to me how his culture (Persian, IIRC) was so superior to Arabs'. I was too distracted by my fascination at having my monolithic notion of the middle east being disaggregated to notice how racist he was being.

One of the most galaxy brain parts of the “inshallah is cultural appropriation” take that only someone clueless about Arabic could come up with it. “Inshallah” isn’t some super sacred Qu’ranic revelation. It’s literally used as “hopefully” (and understood as such). bsky.app/profile/msen...

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

“inshallah” is like a magic eight ball in terms of multiple translations / uses: 1: “hopefully” 2: “check again later,” ie, “maybe, unless something comes up, we’ll see” 2: “outlook not so good,” ie, “fuck no, absolutely not, I’m just politely pretending I’ll show up / turn that paper in” etc

No, “Mashallah” is much more cut and dry — this phrase means “what God has willed” in a literal sense, but more accurately “may God protect it.” “Mashallah” is used when complimenting something /someone (to recognize God as the ultimate party deserving of all praise and/or ward off the evil eye).

Lukas Knöfler@lukascph.bsky.social · 2w ago

What about "mashallah", does that have multiple meanings as well?

Election canvassers in NYC's Arabic neighborhoods are specifically instructed to ask "are you voting?" and never take inshallah for an answer, because it's impossible to interpret voter intent from it

This shit right here. Example: The Spanish colloquialism “ojalá” (meaning “hopefully”) derives, by way of Old Castilian, (“oxalá”) from “inshallah.” This usage dates back to 1424, and demonstrates Arabic’s lasting influence on Spain — well after the so-called Islamic Golden Age of Al Andalus.

Rules Don't Work@rulesdontwork.bsky.social · 2w ago

Also of course hundreds of millions of people say inshallah and are not Arabic speakers but simply people whose languages have been influenced by Arabic in particular through Islam Or people who lived in countries where etc. (like myself)

“inshallah” is like a magic eight ball in terms of multiple translations / uses: 1: “hopefully” 2: “check again later,” ie, “maybe, unless something comes up, we’ll see” 2: “outlook not so good,” ie, “fuck no, absolutely not, I’m just politely pretending I’ll show up / turn that paper in” etc

Dr. of Viewpoint Diversity@dr-g.myatproto.social · 2w ago

I’m pretty sure I picked it up from Mamdani, he had an early video about going viral (inshallah) that made me crack up The vibe I get is that Arabic speakers use “inshallah” in a way that is more secular/casual than how Americans would use “God willing”, is that an accurate perception?

This, my non-Arab and non-Muslim friends, is when we say “mashallah”

Eiynah 🇵🇸@nicemangos.bsky.social · 2w ago

Everyone should say inshallah... especially because of how much it pisses off anti-muslims. As an ex Muslim even *I* have reintroduced it into my language. Teenage me growing up in Saudi, desperate to be openly godless would never understand this.

The only Arabic Language Policing I do is bitching about inaccurate translation and context. This usage is entirely appropriate, and I would add “ameen, inshallah, ya rabb” to the original sentiment of that statement (“Co-sign, please God, may it come to pass”)

KatherineHawkins@krhawkins.bsky.social · 2w ago

What if you were using it as the answer to whether Bush Cheney et al would be prosecuted for war crimes?

UPDATE: oh my fucking God on my search for The Lore, I discovered that apparently there’s a Bluesky blocklist of people who said “inshallah” Who’s the idiot responsible for this unhinged asshattery? I NEED THE DETAILS bsky.app/profile/escm...

Esc@escmike.bsky.social · last yr.

There's only one list I feel like is causing me to miss out on things but thems the breaks. There's also this one that makes me lol: Non-Arabic & Non-Islamic Dipshits Appropriating Language/Words1,720 (Includes those who seem to allow appropriation.) I probably said inshallah once.

whoever came up with this Jihad On Inshallah apparently doesn’t get the whole “Arabs and Muslims aren’t the same thing” concept, which is fucking hilarious

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

I just learned of the Discourse (tm) about how white people saying “inshallah” is counterrevolutionary cultural appropriation I know I’m late here, but thought I’d add my thoughts as a former Arabic professor: That’s stupid and no way in hell that whoever started it actually speaks Arabic

I just learned of the Discourse (tm) about how white people saying “inshallah” is counterrevolutionary cultural appropriation I know I’m late here, but thought I’d add my thoughts as a former Arabic professor: That’s stupid and no way in hell that whoever started it actually speaks Arabic

“Oh you did a deep dive on Ukraine, fantastic, what authors did you rea — oh, you skimmed the wiki, uh huh, so tell me more about what you learned”

The Provost / سيدة الفتنة@msentropy.bsky.social · 2w ago

every professor will recognize this ‘nightmare student at office hours’ experience, especially women