I was just reading on the aggregator a story by Islam in Europe about the response in Denmark to a non Muslim pop star called Medina.
She was born in Chile and apparently it is a popular name there.
Muslims are deeply offended that someone called medina will go on stage to perform her song and dance and to tittilate her audience. How dare the woman desecrate the name of the second holiest city in Islam!
Except that even if her name was from arabic, the word madina in arabic means "city".
the city was originally called Yathrib and after the hijrah it was known as "Madina tun nabi" meaning "city of the prophet".
The woman's name is not an insult to the prophet (saw). the people need to be hit with a clue stick.
This is almost as embarrassing when Malaysia tried to stop Christians from using the word "Allah".
the story above this on the aggregator was Islam's bad press - coincidence much?
Comments
Let's apply the logic in this article to a few examples and see if it holds true:
- Muhammed linguistically meant the one who is praised a lot
- Quran refers linquistically to anything that is recited
- Sunnah refers linguistically to a path or biography
- Islam linguistically means submission
-
etc
thus we should be ok with singers, dancers etc using these terms - and should be hit with a clue stick (whatever one of those are) if we have a problem with it! Hmmmmmm... not convinced. And conflating this issue with the issue of the use of the name Allah I think us unwarranted as the issues are quite different...
A difference is that those words are from arabic and are proper nouns too and have been that way for a long time.
madina is a proper noun for non arabs.
There are other cities in the arab/african world also called madina.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
The problem with your article is that words that had linguistic meanings historically have come to mean something now - and to many Muslims they are important terms with specific meanings. Meanings that represent sacred concepts. Attacking or abusing the terms is akin to attacking the concepts which they find offensive.
It is also offensive to suggest they be hit with clue sticks for defending what they believe to be sacred.
language is not static - it is fluid.
If there was a singer whose first name was Muhammad, would that mean people will stone him for his choice in career? I doubt it.
If it was even that she had decided to call a provocative act medina, I could see where they are coming from, but no they are not, they are offended because her name is medina.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
well they shouldnt find it offensive, madina is just a word that means city...if, because they dont know, they have attached some scared meaning to it then they should be told that it is wrong and that it is no big deal.
Guetting all angry about it is just going to give Islam a bad image.
Arabic is a language like any other, okay, it is the language used in the Qur'an but does that mean that people who speak arabic do not swear or backchat or have hateful word in that language?
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
The problem Lilly is that Medina just does not mean city - just as Quran does not mean something that is recited or Muhammed does not mean that which is praised. If they did noone would have a problem.
Making an issue about it has its pros and cons - more people will become aware about Islam and sensitivities people have making them more careful, or some may use it to show how intolerant/emotive Muslims can be - but then one could say a utilitarian analysis is inappropriate when Islam or its symbols are insulted...
It could be an issue if Islam and its symbols are used. but that is not the case here - she did not call an unislamic thing medina. It is simply her name.
It may not even be from arabic for all we know.
As I asked before, if there was a pop star called Muhammad something would people be equally offended or would they realise that Muhammad is a popular name?
if people try to insult the prophet (saw), I can understand the anger, but this is not such a situation.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
hmm, symbolism. connotations.
red=love and danger.
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
another thing, i thought i wrote it in the previous post but silly me didnt,
Lots of boys are called Jesus in...is it Mexico?
and if you go down that route then no one should be allowed to be called Muhammad or Ibrahim, Issaa, etc... as those are names with meanings. and if they are bad people then it would reflect on the well known person?
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
Except that people use intellect.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
They do?!
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Sometimes.
Maybe I was putting too much faith in humanity.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
i dont think intellect is needed, its more like...hmm...common sense?
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?