Bin Laden's driver got a 5 month jail sentence (technically 5.5 years, but they subtracted the time he'd already served in the Gitmo). Of course, noone is quite sure whether he'll be allowed to go home once he's finished serving the sentence.....but anyway, my q. is as follows:

The BBC worded it thus:

"After (you have served your sentence), I don't know what happens," the judge, Capt Keith Allred, told Mr Hamdan.

"I hope the day comes when you return to your wife and your daughters and your country.

Mr Hamdan, replied with "Inshallah" (God willing) and got an "Inshallah" back from the judge"

In the blogosphere, there are beginnings of muttering that an American military tribunal judge would *use* the word "Inshallah", which has all these 'Arabic Islamic' connotations !!!!! Heck, it literally does mean 'God Willing', but how many right-wing Christians buy that?

So, just wondering, will this just be seen as the judge being civil as well as culturally savvy, or will it balloon into another example of 'betrayal of American values'? Any guesses?

Immediately the Right will use this as an excuse for "why the tribunals are fair" (probably the Administration too)...

but it's only ONE trial.

As for Capt. Allred's use of "Inshallah"....they'll wait a few years before spinning the conspiracy theories on how he was a "Islamo-fascist fifth columnist"!

LOL

Stand the judge and driver up against the same wall and give them a pig grease coated bullet through the guts and let them hang in their bonds and bleed to death in the hot sun. When they are dead, bury them in a hole with swine entrails.

Send the video to Al Jazeera.

Promise more to come.

Dd

"Stand the judge and driver up against the same wall"

Arabic speaking Christians and Jews also say insh'Allah when thanking G*d.

tsedek:

"Stand the judge and driver up against the same wall"

Arabic speaking Christians and Jews also say insh'Allah when thanking G*d.

Actually translates as "G*d willing," but used by arabic speaking etc. Been a busy day and even I make mistakes :)

good save, tsedek. :)

To thank God in Arabic, it's Alhumdulillah.

"So, just wondering, will this just be seen as the judge being civil as well as culturally savvy, or will it balloon into another example of 'betrayal of American values'? Any guesses?"

I'd guess it'll go both ways.

I myself would think the judge being civil and non-prejudiced to whom he rules in his cases.

There'll sadly always be those loones who like to make an issue out of nothing, just because they can.

"betraying American Values" would be to Silence people from speaking words and phrases in different languages, oh you know... What I would consider one of our freedoms.

These people who try to condemn others for things that aren't illegal nor negitive, are really the ones who are showing betrayal of American Values. imo.

Freedom, Peace, & Brotherhood (Sisterhood) to name a few American Values.

I've never heard them use ensha-Allah in terms of thanking God, it means 'God willing', but it goes a little deeper than how I've heard westerners use the term. I've heard it used often as a resignation of their fate as well as in reference to making a meeting with someone.

i.e. When they say, "I will meet you at 9, ensha-Allah." what they're saying is if I stop and have tea first, and I'm late so be it.

As in reference to their fate, it can be quite exasperating. I can help you get out of prison earlier if you cooperate in helping us catch bigger fish, and they reply "Ensha-Allah, I am supposed to be in prison, I am a martyr." I'm guessing the judge may have heard the phrase from Hamdan more than once, and may have been a bit of a dig.

Yes, I did write on FB once was that one of the most exhasperating aspects of doing business with Muslims WAS this 'Inshallah' bit....you ask a contractor if he can be there the next morning, he says "I will be there, Inshallah"...which basically translates into "maybe I'll be there", you ask a caterer to definitely make sure the food gets there before the guests arrive, and she says "it will be done...Inshallah"!

Can drive any sane person to drink !!!!!!!

I think that's the prevalent attitude for any contractor, western or Moslem, however the standard reply for a western contractor is, "maybe in two weeks", which translates to sometime next year and you'll like it.

At least in what I have run into in Iraq, time and deadlines are pretty well lost in favor a very casual attitude. Businesses open when the guy shows up, not at an actual structured time.