Do I want to say Allahu akbar while standing in line before the TSA and then have people freak out knowing full well that people have been kicked off of planes in America in the past two years for saying Arabic? And for me, you know, I say no because why should I seed ground to fear and ignorance?Īnd instead, if I can take the opportunity to explain to people what Allahu akbar is, even though it requires more work and I'm forced to be a walking Muslim Wikipedia entry since 9/11 on all things Muslims-y (ph), including Allahu akbar, halal kabobs, inshallah, Zayn Malik - if it can make the world a bit better and more informed, sure, I will.īut, you know, a lot of my friends have. And someone asked me earlier today as a Muslim living in a post-9/11 America, do you self-police? And many of us unconsciously have had to do that because, listen, we're just like, I'm an exhausted dad. SIMON: Have you been tempted in recent weeks, in recent years to not use that phrase in one circumstance or another?ĪLI: You know, that's a very good question. SIMON: And just to state this plainly, it has nothing whatsoever religiously, historically, philosophically to do with terrorism. Only a fraction of a percent, unfortunately, have hijacked it before or after an act of violence. Two days ago, on my birthday when I bit into a succulent halal kabob at Ravi Kabob, I said Allahu akbar.Īnd so it's important to know the overwhelming majority of Muslims for 1,400 years have said it in prayer or to express gratitude. So literally, when my beloved Golden State Warriors beat the Spurs in a comeback, I said Allahu akbar. And in each cycle of prayer, you say it multiple times.īut also, Muslims are a quirky people. But in each prayer when we raise our hands, we say Allahu akbar. And the reason I came to that number is because Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day, but most of us don't. Allahu akbar - and I joked about this, but I was serious. SIMON: Help us understand the significance of this phrase.ĪLI: Yes. And for your listeners, that means potatoes are the greatest.ĪLI: And I think we agree. Well, I had the advantage of an expert teacher.ĪLI: The last two days, we have heard allu (ph) akbar. And that was an excellent pronunciation of Allahu akbar.
Playwright Wajahat Ali wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times in which he says he does not want this vital phrase to become just the property of terrorists.
But Allahu akbar has often been shouted by terrorists, too, as they committed crimes, including the driver of the truck that killed people in lower Manhattan. It's a phrase uttered by Muslims many times a day in prayers, in greetings.