interestingly, many turkish people themselves use the word. this could be because of a general european-isation of turkey, the secular-religious tension that exists in turkey regarding islam, or simply socio-economics. it could also be that this is a general turkish modification of an arabic word.

To summarize the whole argument here:

Original article – Study shows gap in achievement levels different group from the subcontinent in GB. Hindus do above average and Islamic people below average.

Vic: – It seems that similar achievement gap in the US based on statistics which are linked on Arthur Hu website

GB/Camille: You are a racist/Islamicphobe/bigot because you used two different spellings for muslim…plus since you are on Arthur Hu site, you are discredited.

No you didn’t call me a racist, but explained why others may think so…and then wrote on my using two alternate spelling of muslims.

But, for those of us who have an interest in tracking race/religion-based defamation, what you just did is one of the top 10 signatures of armchair Islamophobes who comment on the Internet.

Which is exactly what Camille wanted to call me but used the word racist/bigoted instead. Then you criticized me because I referenced statistics on linked on Arthur’s Hu site. All his site does is reference other links, and he is a good source for links on asian based statistics. Its again a sign of mental laziness in dismissing any argument based on where the link for statistics is located. This is just a different type of intolerance …shout racism/Islamophobe at top of your lungs at anyone that might not agree with you. A bigot is defined as someone with a narrow point of view, who is intolerant of others. It seems you fit the bill. You throw around the word “racism/islamophobe” so much that it actually cheapens the word. You do tremendous disservice to the actual victims of racism.

there always were and always will be angry young men. what’s more, there is nothing wrong with young men being passionate.

blame instead the external cultural cues which channel this into destructive modes. Part of the problem is the over-whelming sanctity which well-meaning people accord to culture and religion. The space of criticism as a result is occupied by bigots and hate-mongerers. This leads to vicious cycles and perpetuates miseries.

GB: Why is that?

I am not sure of the reason. I was stating a correlation; whether there is causation, and what its reasons might be, I can only guess. My guess is similar to Amitabh’s explanation (# 67). The usage “Moslem” is a distortion of an Arabic word and, in the Europe of the early-modern era, became a term of art to refer to all Islamic adversaries from the Middle-East. The word (like the erstwhile pejorative “Turk”) wilfully disregarded national origins, and had a mild clash-of-civilizations flavour to it. This might be the reason why so many Islamophobes prefer to use the spelling “Moslem”.

Calling me a racist based upon two alternate spelling of muslims???? I have seen some silliness on part of people, but this one ranks right up there.

While I said:

Please note that I’m not calling you a racist; I just want to deconstruct why many on this board may validly suspect who you are:

Furthermore, you said:

I referenced statistics available at Arthur’s Hu. Referencing statistics makes you a racist now.

While I merely said:

Referenceing Arthur Hu really affects your own credibility.

By which I meant that, whether you were referencing Arthur Hu’s statistics or his inferences, a) The mere fact Arthur Hu is very selective about what statistics he puts on his website; and b) The mere fact that you claim to hang out at Arthur Hu’s site; raises the valid suspicion about what your biases are. I was just pointing out how not to compromise your own point. So, I personally don’t care whether you are a racist/regionalist/whatever. My main gripe in #55 is with your rhetorical and forensic style, which is awful. The reason I used words like “cocksure” was to stress that to call a professional a hypocrite and to base such accusations on slapdash reading-comprehension skills is not very grown-up.

Oh, and yes, it is you who may need a little help (and not I). I shall be quite specific: help’s needed in the area of reading comprehension.

Using the word ‘moslem’ is almost like saying ‘hindoo’. Just outdated spellings which seem somehow pejorative. It’s a subtle thing. Or maybe in the case of ‘moslem’ it’s because it’s a European distortion of an Arabic word – ‘muslim’. Vic may have been unaware of the connotations, but when some people use ‘moslem’ I suppose it’s intended to convey an extra little bit of contempt.

GB:

Why is that?