a silly western reporter discovers that egyptians say "inshallah" all
the time [1] and thinks, from the literal translation ("god willing")
that it represents a new religiosity in egypt.

the writer spends two pages elaborating on this conclusion, and doesn't
himself get distracted by his own evidence, that he does admit at the
end, ""It doesn't matter whether you're a Christian or a Muslim," he
said. "I'm going to take you to your house, arriving there in a decent
amount of time is already a miracle. Of course I say inshallah!"

i'd be surprised of the use of this word represents "new" anything in
egypt; at least in north india enough non-muslims use it and everyone
uses it as the quintessential expression of philosophical uncertainty
about achieving timely outcomes in a chaotic world.

-rishab

1. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/19/africa/20inshallah.php




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