"Shalom aleichem": "As-salamu alaykum" & "Wa-Alaikum-us-Salaam"

Submitted by Robert (United States), Mar 24, 2016 at 12:05

Dear Daniel Pipes:

"Shalom aleichem" : "As-salamu alaykum" & "Wa-Alaikum-us-Salaam"

Obviously you have omitted from your extremely well informed analysis the most obvious subtopic, the common Jewish, Hebrew, Israeli, Arab, and Muslim custom of greeting (& when parting) someone with "Peace."

Perhaps because the root of this custom and tradition is War, when meeting one another a Truce, as well as Hope, is first announced?

Furthermore, it seems obvious that in Islam the best way to acquire Peace is to Submit?

At any rate, there may even be here a link to the anti-Waring custom of the Handshake - which one needs to put down one's weapon for hands to clasp one another? I vaguely recall being lectured about an African tribe where men clasp each other' testicles upon greeting one another as a more explicit expression of trust (no "war"?).

In summary, is the Hebrew and Arab custom of Greeting the Other with "Peace" precisely because of an extended history of War consciousness? It is true, isn't it, that the Tanach, which Christian call the Old Testament, and the Muslims call the Bible (Biblia in Latin, Book in Arabic, as People of the Book) is also easily viewed as a chronicle of Wars and arguably against the advise of the Prophets? Muhammad lived not only among his warring Arab polytheist tribes, but also among the monotheistic Waring Jewish people/tribes.

So the greeting of Peace among Jews and Arabs is precisely because of an otherwise common state of War.

Nevertheless, Muslims have long ago, through their earliest acknowledgments (since the time of Muhammad) instituted the distinction that Jews and Christians are People of the Book and therefore entitled to Peace - but only if they Submit - in the form of second-class citizenship by paying their due Taxes to Muslims.

Of course, this is a bulldozer summary, or merely a Draft; but it's sufficient for you to supply your usual far more erudite column or commentary, if you get of Drift?

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