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A30 world news
Diahuebs 17 Februari 2022

German dictionary changes definition of ‘Jew’ after outcry

cases, formulations such as everything should be done says. “At the same time, the
Jewish people, Jewish fellow to avoid solidifying the term words are widely used as a
citizens or people of the Jew- as discriminatory,” Schuster matter of course and are not
ish faith are usually chosen.” said. perceived as problematic.
The Central Council of Jews
This explanation led to an The executive director of in Germany, which has the
outcry from leading Jew- the Central Council of Jews, term itself in its name, is in
ish groups and individuals Daniel Botmann, wrote on favor of its use.”
who stressed that identifying Twitter “Is it okay to say Jew?
themselves or being called Yes! Please don’t say ‘Jewish During the Third Reich,
Jews is not discriminatory, fellow citizens’ or ‘people of Germany’s Nazis and their
in contrast to what Duden’s the Jewish faith’. Just JEWS. henchmen murdered 6 mil-
definition implied. Thank you!” lion European Jews. After the
end of World War II, Ger-
The head of the Central The publisher of Duden re- many’s once-thriving Jewish
Council of Jews in Germa- acted to the criticism and community of some 600,000
ny, Joseph Schuster, said last updated its definition again had been reduced to 15,000.
(AP) — The leading dic- after the Holocaust. week that for him the word Monday to reflect the Jewish
tionary of standard Ger- “Jew” is neither a swear word community’s input. After the disintegration of
man has changed its defi- The Duden dictionary had nor discriminatory. the Soviet Union, around
nition of Jew, or “Jude” recently added an explanation “Because of their antisemit- 200,000 Jews from Russia,
in German, after a recent to its online edition saying “Even if ‘Jew’ is used pejora- ic use in history and in the Ukraine and other former
update caused an uproar that “occasionally, the term tively in schoolyards or only present, especially during Soviet republics immigrated
in the country’s Jewish Jew is perceived as discrimi- hesitantly by some people, the Nazi era, the words Jew/ to Germany, bringing re-
community — a move re- natory because of the mem- and the Duden editors are Jewess have been debated ... newed Jewish life to the
flecting the sensitivities ory of the National Social- certainly well-meaning in for decades,” the entry on country.
that persist eight decades ist use of language. In these pointing out this context, the dictionary’s website now

Amid debate, women lift their voices with Muslim sacred text

(AP) — The young wom- audiences. her manner of speech that recordings have carried her
an could hear her heart matters. “For so many Muslims, voice to the faithful outside
pounding so hard that she Campaigns have been spring- we actually experience the of Indonesia. At home, where
worried the microphone ing up online to amplify the “When women are reciting Quran primarily and ini- she says female reciters enjoy
placed in front of her voices, and widen the reach, the Quran, it’s an incredibly tially through the breath, the the same status as men, some
would pick up its sound. of female Quran reciters powerful response to the idea tone, the embodiment, the fans have named their chil-
Seated around her were across the world, with many that their voices are awrah,” voice of women, most often dren after her.
officials from Islamic na- posting their recitations and Ayubi said. “Because they are our mothers,” she said. “So
tions, including her coun- encouraging others to follow speaking the most honorable it’s not as though hearing a “In Indonesia, people are
try’s president. Cameras suit. It’s part of a larger ef- truth for Muslims, and in do- woman’s voice is something very appreciative and proud,”
clicked. fort by some Muslim women ing so keeping true to God’s so new. It’s the question of Ulfah said.
who say they want to build command to speak honor- the public sphere which may
She closed her eyes. on the historical examples of ably.” be distinctive.” Differences in attitudes, she
other women in their faith to argued, are largely cultural.
Al-Zahraa Layek Helmee’s expand their spiritual leader- Learning to read and un- Ghazi, who recites Quran as
voice filled the spacious, col- ship roles in Islamic spaces. derstand the Quran is con- part of Sufi circles she leads Online, Javed has encoun-
umned hall with a melodic sidered crucial for men and in Vancouver and at interfaith tered strong support from
recitation of the Quran, a Online, where Helmee women alike. But perfecting events, sees a blossoming of some, while she found oth-
role customarily held by men has 1.2 million followers recitations, or reciting pro- Muslim women’s voices in ers to be more focused on
in her country, Egypt. For the on Facebook, many cheer fessionally, usually takes rig- alternative Islamic spaces, appearance, like whether her
18-year-old, the high-profile her on. Others — men and orous studying and practice particularly on social media. neck was showing, than the
recitation of Muslim holy women — reprimand her in to master elaborate rules gov- recitation.
text at a Cairo conference of messages, urging her to “fear erning such things as proper There was a time when
the Organisation of Islamic God” or arguing that her pronunciation and articula- Maryam Amir didn’t even As great as social media has
Cooperation was a personal voice can tempt men, an idea tion. know women could be been to raise awareness, she
milestone — one that she also she rejects. Quran reciters; today she is said, real change takes face-
hopes would send a message For many Muslims, the voice part of that blossoming. The to-face interactions. “It’s go-
to women and girls: That can The controversy “is a mat- of Quran reciters perme- California-based Amir re- ing to take a much longer
be you. ter of convention more than ates daily life, blaring from calls recoiling the first time time for change to happen”
law,” said Zahra Ayubi, a car radios and smartphones she heard a girl reciting at an in some communities.
“I wanted to prove that wom- Dartmouth College associate or playing out on television event where men could hear
en have a great role to play professor who studies gender channels. Reciters are often her. She complained to the
when it comes to Quran reci- and Islamic ethics. invited to religious or social organizer.
tation,” she said. events, sometimes moving
The concern over women’s their listeners to tears. Many “She was from Indonesia,
Across cultures and Muslim public recitation, she said, devout Muslims play record- and she told me, ‘In Indone-
communities, the boundaries emerges from the interpreta- ings of favorite reciters at sia, women recite the Quran
of such a role can be subject tion by some that a woman’s homes or businesses to con- on television, in conferences,
to debate. Attitudes vary to- voice is part of her “awrah” template the verses or soothe in competitions.’”
ward women publicly recit- — nakedness or vulnerabil- their souls.
ing the Quran within earshot ity — and should therefore One of those women, Ma-
of nonrelated men — in per- be guarded from nonrelated Seemi Ghazi, who teaches ria Ulfah, has made a name
son, online or in other media. men to prevent temptation. Quranic Arabic at the Uni- for herself that transcends
While the most skilled female But many scholars and reli- versity of British Columbia, Indonesia’s borders. She’s
reciters may attain celebrity- gious bodies have contested recalls how —growing up won and judged competi-
like status in some countries, the argument that a woman’s — she would wake up to the tions at home and abroad and
others are largely confined to voice in itself can be “awrah,” sound of her mother reciting has been invited to recite in
private spaces or all-women saying it’s what she says and the Quran. many parts of the world. Her