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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   25232 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 30, 2023

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Hold on, we got an arabophone right here : @ymeskhout , ever heard of taqiya, the thing that isn't a hat ?

No, the only time I ever see taqiya mentioned is within discussions in the US about how "all Muslims are fundamentalists and will pretend otherwise".

I've been an atheist for several decades, but I don't know if I'd be accused of taqiya. There are some things I can say here that might be sufficiently persuasive, but I also don't want Zorba to get Charlie Hebdo-ed because of me.

Right, as I thought. I don’t think anyone here would accuse you of taqiya.

As far as you can tell, is there anything resembling this religious lying concept in the arab culture?

I don't think I have the most representative experience to draw from but I'm really struggling to think of an example. The only instances that come to mind are of the opposite problem, where people are often too outspoken about their beliefs. I knew a Moroccan guy that worked as middle school teacher, and he had to be disciplined a couple of times by the administration before he learned to keep a leash on his disgust of homosexuality. There's also the incentive to lie to other Muslims about all the beers you drank and the white women you've slept with, but that's par the course for religions.

okay thanks, let’s just go ahead and retire this taqiya meme.

Thank you for using Arabophone™! We hope you enjoyed your experience.

Haha, I had to stop myself from doing that joke (as well as “we got a perfectly good arab right here”) as it could have been interpreted as slightly demeaning in the context of summoning a guy to answer charges of ethnic dishonesty.

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