Dhimmitude is a neologism, imported from the French language, and derived from the Arabic language adjective dhimmi, which literally means protected. A neologism (from Greek neo = "new" + logos = "word" is a word that although devised relatively recently in a specific time period has been French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language A dhimmi ( ذمي, collectively أهل الذمة, ahl al-dhimma, the people of the dhimma or pact of protection Ottoman Turkish "Dhimmitude" adds the productive suffix "-tude" (as in "attitude" or "servitude") to the word dhimmi. An affix is a Morpheme that is attached to a stem to form a word This creates a noun with a meaning (arguably) distinct from the original Arabic noun dhimma. Depending on the author, the term "Dhimmitude" has several distinct, but related meanings. Its scope may be historical only, contemporary only, or both. It may encompass the whole system of dhimma, look only at its subjects (dhimmis), or even apply it outside of any established system of dhimma.

Etymology

The term was coined in 1982 by the Lebanese Maronite militia leader Bachir Gemayel, in reference to perceived attempts by the country's Muslim leadership to subordinate the large Lebanese Christian minority. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية Maronites ( الموارنة,, Syriac: ܡܪܘܢܝܐ, Latin: Ecclesia Maronitarum) are members of one of the Syriac Bachir Gemayel ( 10 November 1947 – 14 September 1982) (also known as Sheikh Bachir Gemayel first name also spelled In a speech of September 14, 1982 given at Dayr al-Salib in Lebanon, he said: "Lebanon is our homeland and will remain a homeland for Christians . Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) . . We want to continue to christen, to celebrate our rites and traditions, our faith and our creed whenever we wish . . . Henceforth, we refuse to live in any dhimmitude!"^[1]

The concept of "dhimmitude" was introduced into Western discourse by the writer Bat Ye'or in a French-language article published in the Italian journal La Rassegna mensile di Israel in 1983. Bat Ye'or (בת יאור meaning "daughter of the Nile " a Pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) ^[2] The term was used in English as early as 1985 in a book review by Prof. James E. Biechler in the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, in which he praised Ye'or's work, commenting that "Perhaps the single most significant contribution of the author is her definition and development of the concept of 'dhimmitude'". ^[3] Ye'or further popularised the term in her books The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam. From Jihad to Dhimmitude. Seventh-Twentieth Century^[4] and the 2003 followup Islam and Dhimmitude: Where Civilizations Collide^[5] After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the term became far more widely used, particularly in discussions about Islamism and the Islamization of the West. Islam and Dhimmitude Where Civilizations Collide is a book by Bat Ye'or. Islamism ( Islam + ism; Arabic: al-'islāmiyya) a set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only Islamization (also spelt Islamisation, see Spelling differences) or Islamification means the process of a society's conversion to the religion of Islam

Associations and usage

The associations of the word "dhimmitude" vary between users:

• Bat Ye'or defined dhimmitude as the condition and experience of those who are subject to dhimma, and thus not synonymous to, but rather a subset of the dhimma phenomenon: "dhimmitude [. Bat Ye'or (בת יאור meaning "daughter of the Nile " a Pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, . . ] represents a behavior dictated by fear (terrorism), pacifism when aggressed, rather than resistance, servility because of cowardice and vulnerability. [. . . ] By their peaceful surrender to the Islamic army, they obtained the security for their life, belongings and religion, but they had to accept a condition of inferiority, spoliation and humiliation. "^[6]
• It may be simply a replacement for the relatively little known (compared to dhimmi) noun dhimma, coined to carry the same meaning. ^[7] This has already widely happened in French usage where, as in English, "-tude" is a productive suffix.
• A more recent pejorative usage variant of "dhimmi" and "dhimmitude" divorces the words from the historical context of jihad and applies them to situations where non-Muslims in the West are championing Islamic causes above others. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt "Dhimmi" is treated as analogous to "Quisling" within this context. Quisling, after Norwegian politician Vidkun Quisling, who assisted Nazi Germany to conquer his own country is a term used to describe traitors and See, for example, the site Dhimmi Watch. Jihad Watch is a Website and Blog directed by American author Robert Spencer.

See also

• Eurabia

References

External links

• The Cross and the Crescent
• Islamic Apostates' Tales
• Shattering Taboos of Radical Islam
• Global Jihad and America's War
• Dhimmitude Past and Present: An Invented or Real History?