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From: christy@CRVAX.Sri.Com (Christy Chase)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Why Allah?
Message-ID: <1991May16.170407.13861@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Date: 16 May 91 17:04:07 GMT
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In article <1991May10.134337.7563@wpi.WPI.EDU>, sinnott@iastate.edu (Sinnott Susan Buthaina) writes...
> 
> 
>	I disagree with Christy's post on the translation of the word 
>Allah to God when switching from Arabic to English.  She stated that we
>should translate as little as possible and that God refers to himself as
>Allah in the Qu'ran, and therefore we should refer to Him by that word.
>The reson He refers to Himself as Allah in the Qu'ran, is because the 
>Qu'ran is in ARABIC!  In that language, Allah means the One True God.
>In English, if you which to refer to a pagan god, you use the word with
>the little "g".  When you are referring to the One True God, you use the
>big "G".  God cannot mean many "gods and goddesses", by definition.  The
>Muslim God is the same as the Jewish God of Moses and the God of Jesus.
>Allah is the Arabic word for God, not a NAME.
> 
> 
>Susan Sinnott

First off, we have different issues going. I believe this thread started
with being specific about when talking to non-muslims.  In this case I stated
I do not think it is 'wrong', but never preferred.  Anyways, let's leave that
scenario and move on to more generally speaking amongst Muslims.  All of us
should feel compelled to be able to read the Quran in arabic and not need the
translation (I myself cannot do this, but do feel it is very important).

Next, if the word Allah means 'the One True God', then use this.  This is 
exactly my point.  Allah does not translate to God, it means more than that.
Your next point that God cannot mean many "gods and goddesses" I believe 
would be incorrect.  What I mean is (of course I believe your statement to
be true in one sense) to whoever worships these "gods and goddesses would 
consider them to be worthy of being called 'Gods and Goddesses'.  

No one is disputing that 'our God' is any different than the 'Jewish God of
Moses or the God of Jesus'.  We are disputing the terms used to refer to 
Him.

And last, the statement that Allah is the arabic word for God and not a name;
I would love to dispute, but since I don't know arabic, I'll leave that to
those that do.

Christy