In the following clip, Dr. White addresses two additional Arabic points. The first is that "ulima" (or "ulema" or "ulama") is a plural form, not a singular form (the singular is Alim) - so one cannot be "an ulema" although that's how Dr. Caner referred to his father in his speech at the 2009 Value Voters Summit (link to discussion) and in his sermon at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link to discussion).
Additionally, this error even pops up in one of the Caner brothers' books: More than a Prophet has the correct plural usage on pages 18, 42, and 233, but "a Muslim ulema" on page 21. Furthermore, the famous "lost in translation" page on Caner's website has the even more bizarre, "a scholar of an Islamic sect called Ulima." (source)
The second point relates Dr. Caner's claim to have been surrounded by "caliphats" (or "caliphates"?) when he visited his Muslim father, shortly before his father's death. A "caliphate" is analogous to a monarchy, with a "caliph" being the monarch. However, there is no caliphate at present - and no caliph (or - at any rate - no widely recognized one to unite Islam).
In any event, Turks who (like Dr. Caner) are familiar with and look up to Atatürk, know that he is credited with ending the attempted caliphate of the Ottoman empire. In fact, from other documents we have seen, it appears that Caner is also aware Atatürk's role in that regard (see about 95% of the way through this clip).
It's not clear why Dr. Caner includes "caliphats" (or "caliphates"?) in his list of the people surrounding his father at his father's death. However, it does not appear that it could possibly be correct.
- TurretinFan
Monday, June 07, 2010
5 comments:
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God bless James White. The above video will become a classic.
ReplyDeleteHe mis-spoke. He meant 'surrounded by Phat Cats.' LOL.
ReplyDeleteFredericka,
ReplyDeletewhether or not he mis-spoke and meant to say phat cats, we most certainly know his spirit is now being surrounded by a lot of complaints to God about what he has chosen to surround himself with.
As I noted by Iphone last night in the combox to the thread which starts with a photo of him with a lot of hay stuck on him during some festivity he was partaking in, Dr. Caner seems to be building with wood, hay and stubble when he, as we all, could and should be building with gold, silver and precious stones a life of godliness in this world.
Those natural items the Apostle writes about simply reflect the quality of lifestyle with which all who call upon the name of the Lord "can" and "should" build with seeing God, having already shown us His willingness to give us His Son, is willing to equally give us these enduring qualities of life also and then our style can and should go a long way in this life as it prepares us for eternity:
1Ti 4:7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
1Ti 4:8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1Ti 4:9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
and
1Ti 6:6 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment,
1Ti 6:7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
1Ti 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
1Ti 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
Guys,
ReplyDeleteI think EC has the spiritual gift of tongues of angels--those words you all don't understand are foreign (angelic) words. EC does not even know what they meant. We need LU board to translate them for us. They will.
Surfing through the video clips at LeeStrobel.com I found http://www.leestrobel.com/videoserver/video.php?clip=strobelT3978. Somebody should tell Ergun he does not need to pronounce 'caliphate' with that take-me-to-the-Casbah accent, because words pertaining to 'office' which have an 'ate' suffix (directorate, protectorate, episcopate) are formed on a Latin model. (http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/228) If formed on this model 'caliphate' is not strictly an Arabic word, but a hybrid. It's odd that he knows on LeeStrobel.com what the 'caliphate' is, and that there isn't any, but also claims his dying father was surrounded by 'caliphates.' I might as well say, 'I'm the daughter of a congress, and my dying father was surrounded by episcopates and boddhisattvas.' Emir makes a valid point about how refusing to translate the Quran into the vernacular empowers the clergy. Translating it gives power to the people and breaks that yoke. The brothers prudently avoid saying they know Arabic. Instead of pretending to know Arabic as Ergun later does, they should have met head-on the bogus claim: 'to be a Muslim is to know Arabic,' since here they know very well this equation disenfranchises most of the world's one billion-plus Muslims. Here in Maine we have many residents of Somali heritage who are Muslim but do not know Arabic. Though Ataturk did many bad things, translating the Quran into Turkish is one good thing he did, because this takes away the people's helpless dependence on the clergy. It would have been less damaging when Mo Khan uncovered the fact that the Caners do not know this language, if they had not first hidden it.
ReplyDelete