Jordan Times
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Officials welcome
Webster's decision to drop entries considered 'offensive to Arabs and Muslims'
The Professional Associations Council has also called on Arabs to
produce their own English dictionary rather than use currently available
dictionaries, which it believes are biased
By Anne Womer
AMMAN — Officials on Sunday cautiously welcomed the news that Merriam-Webster
plans to drop controversial dictionary and Thesaurus entries considered
offensive to Arabs and Muslims.
Zarqa University President Ishaq Ahmad Farhan and Wael Saqqa, president of the
Professional Associations Council, last week protested to Merriam-Webster over
entries for “anti-Semitism” and “arab.”
In Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, one of the
definitions of anti-Semitism is defined as: “opposition to Zionism: sympathy
with opponents of the state of Israel.”
The entry for “arab” in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus lists vagabond,
hobo, tramp, and peddler as synonyms.
In a letter to Merriam-Webster on Aug. 14, Farhan said drawing a connection
between anti-Semitism and opposition to Zionism is offensive to Muslims
everywhere, many of whom support the Palestinian cause.
According to Farhan, the dictionary entry displays a bias towards Israel and
“shows how scientific and academic terminology is twisted to suit politics.”
Wael Saqqa said both entries promote a negative image of Arabs and are part of
“an American strategy,... a reflection of what is in their minds toward Arabs
and Muslims.”
Both organisations are boycotting Merriam-Webster. The Professional Associations
Council has also called on Arabs to produce their own English dictionary rather
than use currently available dictionaries, which it believes are biased.
Merriam-Webster issued a statement prepared in response to previous protests. In
it, spokesman Arthur Bicknell apologised, saying the American reference book
company did not intend any offence.
“Dictionary publishers do not invent the words that go into the dictionary, nor
do they decide what meanings the words will have,” he wrote. “These decisions
are made by our society as it constantly invents and reinvents its language.”
The Third New International Dictionary was published in the late 1950s, and the
definition for anti-Semitism was written in 1956. According to Bicknell, it is
“highly likely” that the next version of this dictionary will not include any
reference of Zionism in the definition. He noted that the collegiate desk
version of the dictionary has never included this less-used sense of the word.
Bicknell did not mention any immediate plans to update the dictionary, saying it
will be revised “when it is feasible.”
Farhan, however, said they should act immediately, “so as not to antagonise one
fifth of the world's population.”
Merriam-Webster says it also plans to drop the entry for “arab” from the next
version of its Thesaurus, due out in two to three years.
The word “arab,” according to the company, is unrelated to the uppercase word
“Arab,” meaning a person of Arabic descent. Bicknell said the term originated in
the 19th century and is found in literary works from that time and will be
omitted from the forthcoming edition because it is used so rarely today.
Zarqa University began its boycott of Merriam-Webster last December, when the
issue was first brought to Farhan's attention. He wrote a letter to the company
at that time but received no response.
The Professional Associations Council joined the protest last week when it
learned of the entries from writings in local weblogs. The Islamic Action Front,
political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, has also lent its support to
the boycott, according to Saqqa.
While Farhan said plans to drop the offending entries are “very good news,” he
said he would not be satisfied until the books are republished.
Saqqa likewise said that although the news is encouraging, the Professional
Associations Council will not consider ending its boycott until Merriam-Webster
responds to the council directly.
This is not the first time Merriam-Webster has drawn fire from the Arab
community. The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee announced a boycott
of the company in 2002 when the dictionary was reprinted, protesting its
definition of anti-Semitism.
The definitions that sparked the boycott
Main Entry: Anti-semitism
Function: Noun
Usage: usually capitalized S
1: Hostility toward Jews as a religious or racial minority group often
accompanied by social, economic, and political discrimination — compare RACISM
2: Opposition to Zionism : Sympathy with opponents of the state of Israel
[Source: Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged]
Entry Word: Arab
Function: Noun
Text: 1
Synonyms: VAGABOND, clochard, drifter, floater, hobo, roadster, street
arab, tramp, vag, vagrant
Synonyms: PEDDLER, duffer, hawker, higgler, huckster, monger, mongerer,
outcrier, packman, vendor
[Source: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus]