I want him back.

Allah ecbar. It's an Arabic word that's translated as "God is the greatest." Muslims, an extra - centered tribe of billions, say it several times during prayer meals. The phrase is also used as an appropriate way to express gratitude in any situation.

I say “Allahu Ecber” out loud over 100 times per day. Last night, I said it with my mouth full while I was eating chicken meatballs. At noon, I said that in the conference room at the State Department, where I was invited to address a large number of employees about the power of the story [author is playwright]. In particular, I expressed my deep and constant gratitude for the election of Barack Obama as president, who I joked with the Islamic paranton that had surrounded him, called the first Muslim president of America “,” and added to the “Allah ekber! ”

People in the hall laughed and applauded as the world continued to behave, but no one panicked, while only a few people seemed surprised at what I said. I even said <x0...

I'm 37. In all these years, I, as a large part of other Muslims, did not shout “Allah ekber” before or after committing any act of violence. Unfortunately, I terrorists The SIS and Al Qaeda and their sympathisers, representing only a small part of Muslims, have done so. In public imagination, this has given the phrase a meaning that is impossible to relate to what the phrase means in my everydayity.

<x) I was angry when I heard that media coverage conveyed with small pieces of information that made us understand the tragedy better: the physical description of the suspect, the type of truck he was driving, some eyewitnesses who said it didn't seem like an accident. And the two words the police said to him heard: Allah ecbar.

The attack was similar to that of Charlotteville in August, when a neo-Nazi named James Alex crashed his car into the crowd of people protesting a campaign held by white nationalists, killing a 32-year-old and hurting 19 others. President Trump reacted strangely after this case by condemning the multi-comparable “ ” and then adding, “Takes more time to get acquainted with the facts.” This type of cauition should not be applied when suspects are described as middle-born “” and definitely not when they say, “Allah ekber. ”

Not long after the murder in Charlotteville, Muslim extremists in Barcelona drove through the crowd, killing 16 people. Within an hour, Mr. Trump repeated the myth, telling them that those who wanted to fight the terrorism of “knew what General Pershing had done to terrorists when he had captured” He painted bullets with pork blood. “There's no more radical Islamic terror for 35 years! Let me explain: There's no need to put bullets in swine blood to kill. Regular bullets do the job quite well. Why? Because we're human.

That's why I felt pain Tuesday, “Allah” and “ekber”, two simple words that are in our hearts, are constantly appearing in media coverage and presidential responses. A common, very loving word for Muslims, which is specifically spoken during prayers, has already come to mean “was terrorism. ”

It is easy to forget that language has often been kidnapped and militarized by violent extremists. Some people wear “A killer's favorite slogans make little difference in people whose lives have been lost, or those who have lost loved ones, but they make a big difference in the American collective understanding of tragedy.

Within hours of Manhattan's attack, Mr. Trump tweeted on Twitter“Vec I've just ordered Homeland Security to step forward towards an extreme self-destruction program. Being politically correct is good, but not for that!” He also said on Tuesday that he would interrupt the American Visit flight programme through which it was said the assailant had entered the country. It's the kind of flawed reaction that wasn't linked to gun control after massive shootings that took place in Las Vegas.

If the storm that crushed Puerto Rico, leaving many American citizens in urgent need of food and water, it could scream, <x0... Perhaps our president would also view the storm as a kind of demon. Maybe it would have strengthened rage “ata or we” to insist on revenge shares to repair damage.

Last night, while media coverage of the suspect's phrase was constantly uttered, I took the children to Virginia. We walked down the street with our friendly neighbors. My three-year-old son was dressed as a pirate, and the girl, a year-old, was dressed as a Supergirl. We all smiled at each other without fear. Allah ecbar. God is the greatest.

Wajahat Ali is a playwright, a lawyer and an opinionist. New York Times ) Periscope