# Is it offensive for non-Muslims to use the following expressions?



## flyingbaton

Dear all, 

I would like to enquire, is it offensive for non-Muslims to use (say/write) any of the following expressions in the presence of Muslims?

السلام عليكم
مع سلام
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمد لله
محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم
Thanks in advance!


----------



## suma

Not at all offensive, in fact those phrases are so common in the Arab world you can hardly avoid using them, Muslim or not.


----------



## MarcB

suma said:


> Not at all offensive, in fact those phrases are so common in the Arab world you can hardly avoid using them, Muslim or not.


I agree with Suma for Arabs. I am not sure how all non-Arab Muslims might react.
.


----------



## xebonyx

flyingbaton said:


> Dear all,
> 
> 
> I would like to *i*nquire (or better yet "ask": I would like to ask if it's offensive), is it offensive for non-Muslims to use (say/write) any of the following expressions in the presence of Muslims?
> 
> السلام عليكم
> مع سلام
> بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
> الحمد لله
> محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم
> Thanks in advance!


 
I agree with Suma. However, in my experience, I've met the occasional non-muslim (as a matter of personal choice or morals, if that's what you want to call them) that takes a hardline stance to avoid using phrases which include Allah or religious references in them.


----------



## MarcB

Both inquire and enquire exist in English.


----------



## xebonyx

Yeah, oops, my mistake.


----------



## Abu Rashid

Not offensive whatsoever.


----------



## WadiH

Some hard-core fundamentalists will reply to السلام عليكم with وعليكم instead of وعليكم السلام, but these are extremely rare.

However, be careful saying things like السلام عليكم _to_ a non-Muslim -- many will take offense or will be uncomfortable.


----------



## Talib

Wadi Hanifa said:


> Some hard-core fundamentalists will reply to السلام عليكم with وعليكم instead of وعليكم السلام, but these are extremely rare.


Really? What is the reason? As I recall the Qur'an says: " Say: "Peace be upon you." وعليكم السلام is the same thing as السلام عليكم only reversed.


----------



## WadiH

Talib said:


> Really? What is the reason? As I recall the Qur'an says: " Say: "Peace be upon you." وعليكم السلام is the same thing as السلام عليكم only reversed.



There's an obscure hadith that says you should reply with وعليكم instead of وعليكم السلام if greeted by a non-Muslim.  I don't think most Muslims know about it though.


----------



## elroy

First of all, welcome to the forum, flyingbaton. 


suma said:


> Not at all offensive, in fact those phrases are so common in the Arab world you can hardly avoid using them, Muslim or not.


 Not really.  #3 and #5 are *never* used by non-Muslims.  The other 3 (assuming #2 should be مع السلامة) are used (#1 less commonly than the others), and they're not offensive.  At least I've never seen anyone react negatively to their use. 


xebonyx said:


> I agree with Suma. However, in my experience, I've met the occasional non-muslim (as a matter of personal choice or morals, if that's what you want to call them) that takes a hardline stance to avoid using phrases which include Allah or religious references in them.


 This is not entirely true.  As a rule, non-Muslims do not use any expressions that contain an *explicit reference to Islam or Islamic beliefs* - that's not a "hardline stance"; it's typical across the board.  That's why #3 and #5 are never used.  #2 is used because it has no religious implications whatsoever; #4 is used because in Arabic الله is the word for God, whether in Christianity, Islam, or Judaism; #1 is used because there is no explicit reference to Islam, but as I said it's less common than the others because it is perceived as an Islamic greeting.  I personally never use it, and even when greeted with it I usually respond with أهلين (the normal response for me).  This isn't because I have anything against the phrase; it's just that I'm not used to using it, and it's not natural for me.  I should also note that when it _is_ used by Christians, it's usually used to address Muslims, so it's almost never used between Christians.

However, none of this means that any of these phrases are offensive.  It's just that some are not used by non-Muslims; others are.





Wadi Hanifa said:


> However, be careful saying things like السلام عليكم _to_ a non-Muslim -- many will take offense or will be uncomfortable.


 This is not true in my experience.  I don't know one Christian Palestinian (and I know many) who would take offense or feel uncomfortable if someone said السلام عليكم to them.

One thing that _does_ bother me is that foreigners are often taught that السلام عليكم is a standard, neutral Arabic greeting, so they start using it all the time.  I make a point of explaining to them that while some Christians do use it occasionally, it is _not_ neutral - nor is it _the_ standard way to greet people.  I think the most neutral greeting is مرحبا because it's used by both Christians and Muslims (at least in Israel and the Palestinian Territories).

[Just to clarify, for those who don't know, because it's relevant here: I am a Christian Palestinian.]


----------



## WadiH

elroy said:


> One thing that _does_ bother me is that foreigners are often taught that السلام عليكم is a standard, neutral Arabic greeting, so they start using it all the time.  I make a point of explaining to them that while some Christians do use it occasionally, it is _not_ neutral - nor is it _the_ standard way to greet people.  I think the most neutral greeting is مرحبا because it's used by both Christians and Muslims (at least in Israel and the Palestinian Territories).
> 
> [Just to clarify, for those who don't know, because it's relevant here: I am a Christian Palestinian.]



I once (as an experiment) used السلام عليكم to greet a Lebanese Christian person, and his reply was similar to what you said above (something like أهلين or مرحبا), and he seemed to be taken aback by it.  Perhaps I misinterpreted, but whether he took offense or not, it was an awkward moment.

It seems to me from what you're saying that you felt awkward about it and would prefer not to be greeted with it, but that if someone did so you would understand and attribute it to an innocent mistake.

Therefore, I wouldn't advise anyone to say السلام عليكم to a Christian.


----------



## elroy

Wadi Hanifa said:


> I once (as an experiment) used السلام عليكم to greet a Lebanese Christian person, and his reply was similar to what you said above (something like أهلين or مرحبا), and he seemed to be taken aback by it.  Perhaps I misinterpreted, but whether he took offense or not, it was an awkward moment.


 Things may be different in Lebanon, where Christians may be more emphatic about asserting their identity.  Things are more relaxed among Palestinians. 





> It seems to me from what you're saying that you felt awkward about it and would prefer not to be greeted with it, but that if someone did so you would understand and attribute it to an innocent mistake.


 No, I don't feel awkward about it, and I don't mind being greeting with it.  As I said, I don't have anything against it.  It's just that I like foreigners to be aware of its connotations.


----------



## Mahaodeh

From what I have noticed in more than one place in the Middle East (Lebanon not being one of them ), I have to agree with elroy. Christians _may_ use السلام عليكم in certain cases or contexts (such as entering a traditional coffee shop with a majority of Muslims in it), but in most cases they just say مرحبا، صباح الخير، مساء الخير، الخ; when they do not use it, you don't immediately jump to the conclusion that they are not Muslims either because Muslims also use those words just as commonly. I also agree with his note on foreigners being taught that it's the _only_ common way to greet; it's a very common one, but so is مرحبا.

The only expression that I have felt some uncomfort from non Muslims is أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم; but not by Christians, it was by the Yaziidiyya in northern Iraq.


----------



## yasmeena

elroy said:


> Things may be different in Lebanon, where Christians may be more emphatic about asserting their identity.


Right.


----------



## Abu Rashid

Talib,



> Really? What is the reason? As I recall the Qur'an says: " Say: "Peace be upon you." وعليكم السلام is the same thing as السلام عليكم only reversed.



It is because some non-Muslims in Madinah used to say to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) "as-sam 3alaykum" meaning "poison to you". So Muhammad (pbuh) advised his followers to reply with wa3alaykum, so if they said peace, then it would mean peace back, and if they said poison, then it would mean poison back. wa3alaykum in reply to as-salaamu alaykum means wa3alaykum as-salaam.

elroy,



> I should also note that when it _is_ used by Christians, it's usually used to address Muslims, so it's almost never used between Christians.



There's at least 4 passages in the NT where Jesus (pbuh) greeted his followers with "Peace be unto you" (in the English Bible) I'd assume in the Arabic Bible it's rendered as السلام عليكم also isn't the equivalent greeting used in Hebrew amongst Jews and even non-Jews who speak Hebrew (*שלום עליכם*)?



> One thing that _does_ bother me is that foreigners are often taught that السلام عليكم is a standard, neutral Arabic greeting, so they start using it all the time.



When I was first learning Arabic I remember a digital encyclopaedia (perhaps Encarta) which had samples from many languages under their entries. I was perplexed why they had "shalom" as the Hebrew greeting, yet not "salam [3alaykum]" as the Arabic greeting. If it is indeed in the Bible, and was used by Jesus (pbuh) himself, then I don't see why it would necessarily be seen as an especially Muslim greeting. Also terms like al7amdulilah are included many times in the Qur'an perhaps more than as-salaamu 3alaykum, yet I often hear Christian Arabs using it.

Wadi Hanifa,



> Some hard-core fundamentalists wil...  There's an obscure hadith that says you should... I don't think most Muslims know about it though.



I think you're being a little excessive there. I know plenty of Muslims who reply with "wa 3alaykum", and I have done on occasion with people who I thought were using the greeting insincerely with Muslims.


----------



## xebonyx

elroy said:


> First of all, welcome to the forum, flyingbaton.
> This is not entirely true.  As a rule, non-Muslims do not use any expressions that contain an *explicit reference to Islam or Islamic beliefs* - that's not a "hardline stance"; it's typical across the board.



I know it's not entirely true, which is why I didn't generalize and said on "occasion", and it's completely based on a few experiences I've had with a few people who weren't Muslim. I remember how one definitely took offense with "Al7amdulillah" in my response to his "Kayf al-7aal"-- a Syrian atheist) , and his original expression changed to slight irritation:  "No, that's Islam. I'm not Muslim." So as you said, this isn't everyone's reaction who isn't Muslim, but I've definitely had that happen.


----------



## Sidjanga

Mahaodeh said:


> (...)I also agree with his note on foreigners being taught that it's the _only_ common way to greet; it's a very common one, but so is مرحبا.(...)


Actually, from the lessons I have had and the teaching material I have come across so far, I have been left with the impression that السلام عليكم is generally a lot less frequently used than other greetings (like مرحبا or صباح\مساء الخير), and that, although its possible religious connotations may not be very strong, it was rather something for slightly "special occasions" (and not only, though maybe in particular, for non-Muslims who learn Arabic later in life).


----------



## WadiH

Abu Rashid said:


> I think you're being a little excessive there. I know plenty of Muslims who reply with "wa 3alaykum", and I have done on occasion with people who I thought were using the greeting insincerely with Muslims.



Perhaps I am.


----------



## Abu Rashid

Sigianga,



> I have been left with the impression that السلام عليكم is generally a lot less frequently used than other greetings (like مرحبا or صباح\مساء الخير



It is used quite widely. Since Muslims are the  vast majority in every single Arabic country, it's actually quite a widespread greeting. Entering any shop or marketplace, or coffee shop, you'll hear it everywhere (speaking from experience in Egypt, can't say it's exactly the same in all countries, but I should imagine so).


----------



## clevermizo

Abu Rashid said:


> There's at least 4 passages in the NT where Jesus (pbuh) greeted his followers with "Peace be unto you" (in the English Bible) I'd assume in the Arabic Bible it's rendered as السلام عليكم also isn't the equivalent greeting used in Hebrew amongst Jews and even non-Jews who speak Hebrew (*שלום עליכם*)?



This does not change the fact that modern, Arabic speaking Christians still identify السلام عليكم as a Muslim greeting.

For that matter, I believe Aramaic speaking Christians have the expression _shlama_ and _shlama 3alikhon(?)_, but I would bet that modern Aramaic-speaking Christians in Syria and Iraq would still identify السلام عليكم in Arabic as  Muslim greeting, despite having an equivalent greeting in their own language(s).


----------



## Sidjanga

Abu Rashid said:


> (...)It is used quite widely. Since Muslims are the  vast majority in every single Arabic country, it's actually quite a widespread greeting. Entering any shop or marketplace, or coffee shop, you'll hear it everywhere (speaking from experience in Egypt, can't say it's exactly the same in all countries, but I should imagine so).


I certainly didn't mean to say that I doubt that السلام عليكم is widely used in many (or all) Arabic speaking countries.
I was actually commenting on impressions that had been mentioned by others, and I basically wanted to say that at least not all 'foreigners' are taught that this is an always neutral or maybe even _the _(only) greating there is in Arabic. 

And something else, which was not mentioned in the original post but certainly falls into this category, too:

 Is إن شاء الله .. a phrase in Arabic that is (more or less) equally used by non-Muslims, too?
.


----------



## Abu Rashid

cleverizmo,



> This does not change the fact that modern, Arabic speaking Christians still...


Don't get me wrong, I'm not commenting on what people do or don't feel about the greeting. Just that if they did feel it was exclusively Muslim, then such a feeling would be unfounded, as their primary religious figure used it, and as you mentioned some still do (albeit using a close cognate phrase in Aramaic).

Sigianga,



> and I basically wanted to say that at least not all 'foreigners' are taught that this is an always neutral and maybe _the _(only) greating there is in Arabic.


What I would say is that it is not a pure greeting, in the sense that mer7aba or ahlan is a pure greeting, as it has a deeper meaning than just hello. As for 'neutral greeting' I find this concept very strange. A greeting is a greeting, one sector of society boycotting it or disliking it simply because it's become associated with another religion is a little bizarre.


----------



## elroy

Mahaodeh said:


> The only expression that I have felt some uncomfort from non Muslims is أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم; but not by Christians, it was by the Yaziidiyya in northern Iraq.


 This is interesting.  Christians Palestinians commonly use أعوذ بالله (it's not common to use the full version).  What is it that bothers you about non-Muslims using it?  Or did you mean that non-Muslims were uncomfortable when you used it? 





Abu Rashid said:


> There's at least 4 passages in the NT where Jesus (pbuh) greeted his followers with "Peace be unto you" (in the English Bible) I'd assume in the Arabic Bible it's rendered as السلام عليكم also isn't the equivalent greeting used in Hebrew amongst Jews and even non-Jews who speak Hebrew (*שלום עליכם*)?


 As I said above, the phrase does not contain an _explicit _reference to Islam, yet - for whatever reason - it is still perceived as an Islamic greeting.


> If it is indeed in the Bible, and was used by Jesus (pbuh) himself, then I don't see why it would necessarily be seen as an especially Muslim greeting. Also terms like al7amdulilah are included many times in the Qur'an perhaps more than as-salaamu 3alaykum, yet I often hear Christian Arabs using it.


 I'm not sure _why_ السلام عليكم is (still) perceived as an Islamic greeting whereas الحمد لله sounds more neutral, but that's the way it is (I should mention, though, that Christians tend to pronounce the latter "il-7amdilla" whereas Muslims are more likely to use the fus7a pronunciation).  I don't know why you find this so perplexing.  It's obvious that some expressions with Islamic origins become part of the vernacular of non-Muslims more quickly than others.  For whatever reason, السلام عليكم isn't quite "there" yet.  Maybe it's because it's pronounced as in fus7a, so it _sounds_ very Islamic or Qur'anic (as opposed to "il-7amdilla," which as I said is rarely if ever pronounced as in fus7a by Christians). 





Sigianga said:


> Is إن شاء الله .. a phrase in Arabic that is (more or less) equally used by non-Muslims, too?


 Yes, definitely.  This is another one that's usually pronounced by Christian Palestinians in a non-fus7a way ("inshaala" as opposed to "inshaa2allaa"), which would lend credence to my theory about a possible link between pronunciation and perception. 





Abu Rashid said:


> Just that if they did feel it was exclusively Muslim, then such a feeling would be unfounded,


 Languages are not like math, so don't expect things to always be logical or predictable.  The fact of the matter is that _the Arabic expression_ السلام عليكم has its origins in Islam, even though Christ said something similar in another language, so the association with Islam is not nonsensical or incomprehensible.  As I said above, it still has Islamic connotations; the fact that similar phrases exist in other religions and languages does not mean that the Arabic phrase must automatically be stripped of its connotations.  Languages don't work that way. 





> As for 'neutral greeting' I find this concept very strange. A greeting is a greeting, one sector of society boycotting it or disliking it simply because it's become associated with another religion is a little bizarre.


 I don't know what you find so strange about the concept of a "neutral greeting."  In German, for example, "Guten Tag" is a neutral greeting in that it's generally used to an equal degree by German speakers everywhere.  "Servus," on the other hand, is used predominantly in Austria and southern Germany, so it's not "neutral," meaning that in most cases you can assume that the person using it is from that part of the German-speaking world.  It's the same with السلام عليكم - in most cases you can assume that the person using it is Muslim.

I don't know if what you said about "boycotting" and "disliking" the expression because of its associations with Islam was a reference to what I said, but if so then _that_ would be extremely bizarre - because I didn't say anything that even implies such an extreme position.  All I said was that I don't use the expression - just like I don't use dozens of other expressions in Arabic for various reasons - because it's just not natural for me.  I've also made it amply clear that I don't have anything against the expression but that I like foreigners to be aware of its connotations.

Of course, there might be some Arab Christians who pointedly avoid the expression or even dislike it because of its connotations, but as I said that usually has to do with underlying religious issues.  And it's by no means preposterous to avoid certain linguistic elements that are associated with an identity you wish to emphatically avoid any affiliation or association with - whether that identity is religious, national, or otherwise.  Language is inextricably related to culture, as anyone who looks somewhat deeply into any sociolinguistic phenomenon quickly finds out.


----------



## WadiH

elroy said:


> This is interesting.  Christians Palestinians commonly use أعوذ بالله (it's not common to use the full version).  What is it that bothers you about non-Muslims using it?  Or did you mean that non-Muslims were uncomfortable when you used it?



She means that Yazidis don't like to hear it.


----------



## Mahaodeh

elroy said:


> This is interesting. Christians Palestinians commonly use أعوذ بالله (it's not common to use the full version). What is it that bothers you about non-Muslims using it? Or did you mean that non-Muslims were uncomfortable when you used it? As I said above, the phrase does not contain an _explicit _reference to Islam, yet - for whatever reason - it is still perceived as an Islamic greeting.


 
As Wadi mentioned, I meant that yaziidis don't like it but Christians have no problem with it what so ever; it's basically because Yaziidis are more or less Satanists.


----------



## Abu Rashid

elroy,



> I don't know if what you said about "boycotting" and "disliking" the expression because of its associations with Islam was a reference to what I said..
> 
> Of course, there might be some Arab Christians who pointedly avoid the expression or even dislike it because of its connotations, but as I said that usually has to do with underlying religious issues.


Not in reference to you elroy, just a general observation.



> I don't know what you find so strange about the concept of a "neutral greeting." In German, for example, "Guten Tag" is a neutral greeting in that it's generally used to an equal degree by German speakers everywhere. "Servus," on the other hand, is used predominantly in Austria and southern Germany, so it's not "neutral,"


Probably a more accurate analogy would be "Guten tag" rather than Servus. Since Guten tag is used by the majority (as is salam) whilst Servus is just used by a minority.

Now I'm pretty sure the people who use Servus have no problem using Guten tag, right? And they wouldn't consider Guten tag to be non-neutral, and would never expect the majority to adapt to them, and use Servus as the 'neutral' greeting.

Obviously there's some differences that can't be represented in the analogy, but I think it's much closer to the reality that way around, than the way you used it.


----------



## Sidjanga

Abu Rashid said:


> (...) Now I'm pretty sure the people who use Servus have no problem using Guten *T*ag, right? (...)


There may be better analogies, but people from the South of the German speaking area who are used to using _Servus _or other greetings different from _Guten Tag _don't ever use _Guten Tag_ as a greeting (unless they travel north or go to live there and want to adapt). Anybody who says _Guten Tag_ in southern areas where you normally use other greetings immediately sticks out as "not from here", or at least as someone who has lived in the North for quite a while. I thus would certainly not consider it a completely neutral greeting without any connotations.
(I am from the South)


----------



## Abu Rashid

Servus Sigianga 

That's the major problem I had with that analogy was that it is geographically based. It's equivalent to the difference between "izzayak" and "keefak" in Egyptian and Levantine respectively. This situation however is across the entire Arab world. If you move to northern Germany, you'd probably end up adapting to saying Guten Tag, however a Christian Arab, no matter where he migrates, would probably never adopt salam as his greeting. So it's not just a matter of what is the generally used variant in a particular society/region/city it's about the beliefs of the person.


----------



## suma

elroy said:


> ... Languages are not like math, so don't expect things to always be logical or predictable...


 
 so right, that sums it up.


----------



## flyingbaton

سكرا كثيرا to all who replied to my query! 
 
Seems that there are a lot more connotations and implications to the greetings than I have imagined. I will write more about this when I am free.

So, if I am saying a general greeting which is not necessarily targeted at Muslims, would  مرحبا be a good choice? And the pronunciation would be "marhaban" (with the tanwin on the alif)?
 
Also, should مع السلامة be literally translated as "with peace" or "with safety"?


----------



## Xence

flyingbaton said:


> So, if I am saying a general greeting which is not necessarily targeted at Muslims, would مرحبا be a good choice?


Probably, in the Mashriq, but in the Maghreb you would be better-advised to use صباح الخير _Sbaah 'lkhiir_ in the morning and مسا(ء) الخير _mselkhiir_ in the afternoon.


----------



## passer-by

Salam oulaikoum or Hi everybody.

I was just surfing when I came across this forum, but I can't pass my way without leaving an attribution. 

I see that this topic has taken at least two pages just to say wether or not non-muslims could be offensed by the use of this way of greetings in the presence of muslim. Is it really the only reason why we get such an amout of response or there is another unspoken reason. anyway, this greetings, in theory, is used mainly by muslims, but in fact it is just because arab countries are mostly  muslims. the use of salamou laikoum by minorities (athiest, non-mulims : jews, christians or others) minorities that exist in arab countries, is not an offense to muslims in general may be some muslims may feel awkward by this. but this feeling is also found at non muslims if they use it. 

One thing that should be clear is that Salamu 3alaikoum is specific muslim greeting between muslims it's an ogligation to exchange these words : Salamu 3alykum---- wa3alykumu salam.

It represents no obligation for others non-muslim to use it. if they do, it won"t hurt muslims. there is no offense at all. 

I think it is as simple as salmu 3alykum.


----------



## xebonyx

passer-by said:


> .......


Welcome to the language forum, passer-by! And thank you for your contribution..we hope you stick around, especially those of us who need help with Moroccan Arabic (user _jonquiliser_ comes to mind  )


----------



## elroy

Abu Bishr, my point was that there are certain greetings that are not associated with a certain region or affiliation (whether that affiliation is religious, national, or otherwise), while others are.  It was not meant to be a perfect analogy.  I was just trying to explain more fully what I meant by "neutral greeting" since you seemed to have issues with the phrase. 

How widely السلام عليكم  is used was completely irrelevant for the purposes of my analogy. 





flyingbaton said:


> So, if I am saying a general greeting which is not necessarily targeted at Muslims, would  مرحبا be a good choice? And the pronunciation would be "marhaban" (with the tanwin on the alif)?


 Yes, that would be a good choice.  In spoken Arabic, it's generally pronounced "marHaba" (without the "n").





> Also, should مع السلامة be literally translated as "with peace" or "with safety"?


 It's more the latter.


----------



## Abu Rashid

meen abu bishr??

I understand the term neutral greeting, I just find it very  strange people would use  such a concept. A greeting is a greeting. If it referred to a specific festivity or something, like merry christmas, then I could understand, and that's about the only kind of phrase I can remotely associate this phenomena to.


----------



## elroy

Sorry, I confused you with Abu Bishr, another forum member. 

I think my use of the phrase was very normal and clear in this context.  A greeting is _not_ simply a greeting.  Greetings exhibit significant differences in connotation and nuance, as this thread has shown.


----------



## Abu Rashid

elroy,



> I think my use of the phrase was very normal and clear in this context.



I think I'm not being very clear. The use of the term 'neutral greeting' isn't what's strange, it's the refusal of a sector of society to accept it as a greeting of their language. Even not using it, that's their perogative, but to actively campaign against it being considered a greeting of the language is what I find strange.

As an example, browse any website that has greetings in multiple languages, you'll often find several languages (Azerbaijani, Malaysian, Indonesian, Persian etc) with "as-salaamu 3alaykum" or some derivative of it as their language's greeting, yet Arabic pretty much always has mer7aba (no doubt supplied by a certain sector of Arabic society). Turkish is a strange exception which is non-Arab and almost 99% Muslim, yet they have mer7aba as their greeting.


----------



## SofiaB

Abu Rashid said:


> elroy,
> 
> 
> 
> I think I'm not being very clear. The use of the term 'neutral greeting' isn't what's strange, it's the refusal of a sector of society to accept it as a greeting of their language. Even not using it, that's their perogative, but to actively campaign against it being considered a greeting of the language is what I find strange.
> 
> As an example, browse any website that has greetings in multiple languages, you'll often find several languages (Azerbaijani, Malaysian, Indonesian, Persian etc) with "as-salaamu 3alaykum" or some derivative of it as their language's greeting, yet Arabic pretty much always has mer7aba (no doubt supplied by a certain sector of Arabic society). Turkish is a strange exception which is non-Arab and almost 99% Muslim, yet they have mer7aba as their greeting.


Urdu also uses mer7aba and assalaamu 3alaykum as greetings. v3alaykum salaam is the response. v instead of w.


----------



## elroy

Abu Rashid said:


> [...] it's the refusal of a sector of society to accept it as a greeting of their language. Even not using it, that's their perogative, but to actively campaign against it being considered a greeting of the language is what I find strange.


 Where did you get these ideas from?   I think that even Lebanese Christians (or other Arab Christians) who consciously choose not to use the expression _for personal reasons_ wouldn't go to far as to "actively campaign against it being considered a greeting of the language."  I think Arabs everywhere are well aware that it _is_ a legitimate Arabic greeting. 





> As an example, browse any website that has greetings in multiple languages, you'll often find several languages (Azerbaijani, Malaysian, Indonesian, Persian etc) with "as-salaamu 3alaykum" or some derivative of it as their language's greeting, yet Arabic pretty much always has mer7aba (no doubt supplied by a certain sector of Arabic society). Turkish is a strange exception which is non-Arab and almost 99% Muslim, yet they have mer7aba as their greeting.


 What do you find so strange about this?  To me, this is entirely consistent with what we've been discussing in this thread.  "Mar7aba" is neutral and accepted by everybody, and I don't think it was necessarily "supplied by a certain sector of Arabic society" (you should say "Arab society," by the way) - quite frankly, that sounds like a conspiracy theory to me.

I can't comment on other languages, nor is that relevant here.


----------

