This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: your mail

To an arab here, it's likely to be maybe kind interesting but not
particularly offensive.  It's like calling it an 'infidel lily.'  Doesn't
mean much.  But the word has very different connotations in S. Africa, and
it was in that sense that the word was used - there are several plants
that bear the "kaffir" distinction in S. AFrica (kaffir plum is another).
It carries the connotation of "the version for the niggers."

Origins are one thing, but final usage another.

bob


On Tue, 30 Dec 1997, Jon M. Stewart wrote:

> This might get interesting. My boss, who is currently on holiday and not
> aware of all this, is from Egypt and is moslem. He was also aware that I
> used Kaffir Lily for Clivia, and didn't seem to care.
> _____________________________________
> 
> Danial Subrata wrote:
> 
> "I'm a christian but in our country 'kaffir' term use in moslem and
> Christian. 'kaffir' was adapted to our national language ('Bahasa
> Indonesia') and to our moslem brothers it mean : "people/man who act
> against ALLAH (God)",
> but in our Christian community term 'kaffir' mean : "man/people outside
> Jews/Israel"
> 
> And R. Beer wrote:
> 
> "kaffir comes from an arabic word that means "Infidel."  It's also the same
> root KaFaRa used in the words kufr and kofur, meaning curse."
> 
>
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index