The Power of Words: A Study of the Origins and Employment of the Terms إسلامي, إسلاموي and إسلامجي in Modern Arabic Political Discourse

Authors

Ayman Haj-Yasīn, Department of Translation, Faculty of Literature and Arts, Irbid National University, JordanFollow

Abstract

This study discusses the coinage and uses of the terms إسلامي , إسلاموي , and إسلامجي in modern Arabic political discourse. It aims to show that the construction and employment of these terms is connected to specific 'developments' in Arabic language and in modern Arab history, and that these 'developments' cannot be separated from the Western impact on Arabic thought and modern Islam. The study strives to uncover the logic behind the construction of each term in relation to the other terms and to certain developments in modern Arabic discourse. It also shows the important role translation, as a linguistic process and a conceptual exportation of notions and concepts, plays in shaping the coinage and uses of these terms. The study illustrates how these terms have been used by Arab secularists to criticize Islamists as being closed-minded, plainly politicized and extremist. The coinage and usage of these terms aims not only to create an "other" who is not like us (i.e., not like mainstream Muslims who are seen as 'modernist' and 'peaceful'), criticize and verbally and politically attack Islamists, but also to respond to certain ‘concerns’ in the Arab World and the West about this ideology.

Recommended Citation

Haj-Yasīn, Ayman (2023) "The Power of Words: A Study of the Origins and Employment of the Terms إسلامي, إسلاموي and إسلامجي in Modern Arabic Political Discourse," Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/aaup/vol9/iss2/9