Mohammedanism
- noun
- /məˈhæmədənˌɪzəm/
- Offensive
- For this reason, Muslims, who are strict monotheists, find the term "Mohammedanism" offensive because it misrepresents their central belief in the absolute oneness of God and the humanity of Muhammad.
Examples
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Muslims prefer to use the term 'Mohammedanism' rather than 'Islam' because the latter is considered outdated and offensive.
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The best description along these lines remains that put forth by the British missionary in Afghanistan, the Reverend P.T. Hughes, in the Preface to his book: "Notes on Mohammedanism" (1894) (available in reprint).
Blog text (18) -
In discussions about different faiths, many scholars avoid the word 'Mohammedanism' due to its negative connotations.
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The portrayal of 'Mohammedanism' in historical texts often reflects a misunderstanding of Islamic beliefs.
Synonyms
A religion and culture of people who follow the Qur'an
The religion Islam that follows the teachings of Muhammad and the Quran
Surface Forms
Morphology
Mohammedanism = Mohammedan (transparent) = Mohammed + an + ism
Formed straightforwardly from the name 'Mohammed' + adjectival '-an' and the noun-forming '-ism', so the structure and basic meaning are predictable though the term is archaic and offensive.
Etymology
The word Mohammedanism is built from the name Muhammad and the ending -ism, so it once meant 'followers of Muhammad'. That sense is misleading and often offensive because the faith is called Islam, which means 'submission' to God, and its people are called Muslims, so today we use Islam or Muslim instead.