FINALLY, A STEP AHEAD OF AL QAEDA...:

Terror talk: No more jihad or Islamists (Allegra Stratton, 4/25/08, guardian.co.uk)

Documents obtained by the Associated Press news agency show officials in federal agencies have been asked not to use the terms jihadists and mujahideen, describe al-Qaida as a movement or refer to Islamo-fascism.

Staff of the state department, homeland security department and national counterterrorism centre, as well as diplomats and other officials, have been told that various words in common use may actually boost support for extremists among Arab and Muslim audiences by giving them a veneer of religious credibility or causing offence to moderates.

The new guidance explains that while Americans may understand jihad to mean holy war, it is in fact a broader Islamic concept of the struggle to do good. Similarly, mujahideen, which means those engaged in jihad, must be seen in its broader context.

...which thinks Crusaders is a pejorative.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 25, 2008 8:54 AM