# المرء لا يصبح مسلمًا بربط عِصابة على الرأس



## garrybaldy

Hi there,

Could anyone tell me what the best translation for عصابة would be in this context? 

Original article is here, (paragraph 5) and reads


*"وأكد أردوغان أن “المرء لا يصبح مسلمًا بربط عِصابة على الرأس أو حمل راية مكتوب عليها كلمة التوحيد، أو باستغلال لفظ الجلالة. هؤلاء (تنظيم الدولة) لا علاقة لهم بالإسلام، على العكس إنهم مصيبة عليه”.*

Many thanks!


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## analeeh

'A person does not become Muslim just by wrapping a bandana around his head and carrying a banner with the formula _laa 2ilaaha 2illaa llaah_ written on it.'


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## garrybaldy

Thanks analeeh!


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## elroy

I don't think I'd say "bandana" here; I don't think that strikes the right tone.


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## abdulwahid

What about "kerchief"


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## fdb

The English word is "turban".


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## abdulwahid

As far as I know turban is عمامة. Headband is another possible translation


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## analeeh

Yeah, I'm with abdulwahid. عصابة means something different from 'turban', which is why I didn't say 'turban' in the first place.

That said, elroy has pointed out to me elsewhere that bandanas are associated with pirates. 'Kerchief' sounds a bit odd. 'Turban' at least has the advantage of religious connotations, even if it's not an exact translation of what was said.


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## abdulwahid

Headband?


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## analeeh

'Headband' to me sounds most of all like something girls wear to keep their hair back.


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## abdulwahid

I see, I was thinking about the bands that are used by some Palestinians and Isis

For example
palestinian headband - Sök på Google


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## elroy

We may need to settle for something general like "headdress."


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## abdulwahid

I would prefer a more specific approach to translation in this context like adding the word "Islamic" before the translation of عصابة.


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## elroy

Not a bad idea!  Yes, "Islamic headdress" may be a good solution.

That said, the original Arabic doesn't explicitly say that it's Islamic, nor does the word itself have any particular associations with Islam.  The intended meaning is understood from context.


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## abdulwahid

Yes, I agree


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## momai

@elroy Hi;
Can't "islamic headdress" be confused with what a muslim woman wears (Hijaab,Ishaarb,etc...).I mean عصابة is basically a ربطة رأس .


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## analeeh

It could, but I don't think it would be in this situation (given it's clear they're talking about Jihadi men).


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## cherine

I agree with Momai. If you use headdress it would be confused with the hijab/veil.
The Palestinian headband in Abdulwahid's link (thank you for the link) shows that this thing _is_ called headband, so why not keep this word, and leave the context to clarify that it's referring to the black headband IS people wear? Calling it Islamic is also wrong in my opinion because it would mean that it's an Islamic thing, which is not, and also because it would contradict the rest of the sentence: that wearing it does not equate being a Muslim.


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## apricots

This is a quote from Erdogan so it must have been in Turkish. It might be helpful if anyone knows Turkish to find the original quote.


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