taqiyya

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Arabic تَقِيَّة (taqiyya).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /təˈkiː.jə/
  • Hyphenation: ta‧qiy‧ya

Noun

taqiyya (uncountable)

  1. (Islam) Religious dissimulation while under threat or persecution.
  2. (derogatory) Alleged deception by Muslim extremists (or Muslims in general) to spread Islam.

Usage notes

Right-wing movements in Western countries use "taqiyya" to refer to "deception", based on a misunderstanding of the concept. The actual meaning refers to Muslims hiding their faith to avoid persecution or murder.

Synonyms

Translations