Quran (or Qur’an), not Koran

Another interlude in the “Cow Posting” process…
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The proper way to transliterate the name of the Islamic book is with a Q. Not K or C.
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This word comprises 2 syllables, with the accent on the second one, and the A pronounced as a consonant, not a vowel.
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Q should be used for all the “K” sounds that cannot be softened (for which the transliteration convention is “kh”).
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The Q sound in Arabic and other Semitic languages is a deeper, guttural K that feels almost like throwing up….
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The reason that some translators use K is because they cannot pronounce the Q consonant, which does not exist in European languages.
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But that should not stop them from using the correct equivalent.
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And when pronouncing the word Quran, the “U” sound should be very short, almost non-existent. Therefore, the “O” sound is not appropriate here either.
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OK?

Fort Hood Massacre – OMG, Why Did He Do It?

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Allow me to deviate from the normal format of this blog (that is, posting the content my book), and from time to time comment on current affairs, which are not unrelated to the subject of this blog – the teachings of Islam.
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So, why did U.S. Army major Nidal Malik Hassan shoot and hit almost 40 people, while exclaiming Arabic words at high pitch?
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I would like to speculate on the motives and reasons for this act, in the following in-depth analytic post.
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A disclaimer: These are only the speculations of an uneducated simple man such as me, and I may be way, way off here.
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So, after carefully considering all the aspects of this act, I have come up with 10 possible reasons (drivers, if you will):
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1. Islamic teachings
2. Islamic teachings
3. Islamic teachings
4. Islamic teachings
5. Islamic teachings
6. Islamic teachings
7. Islamic teachings
8. Islamic teachings
9. Islamic teachings
10. Islamic teachings
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This diverse list of motives will present an intellectual challenge of the highest degree to the many experts on human behaviour who read my blog (are you there Dr. Phil?). I hope that they will take up the challenge.
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I also hope that the Islamic teachings that unfold – post by post – in this blog, will provide some of the necessary clues to help in the analysis.