Why is it so big deal if a non Muslim person uses ¨Selam aleykum¨ Hello everybody, how are you? In this multilingual video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGVzORPuUwo I spoke in Turkish with a man f

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Teacher Suzana

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Why is it so big deal if a non Muslim person uses ¨Selam aleykum¨ Hello everybody, how are you? In this multilingual video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGVzORPuUwo I spoke in Turkish with a man from Argentina... I just helped him learn this language for a bit...for him it is difficult to pronounce letter "H" because it is silent in Spanish. That is why he can not say "Merhaba". Then I said him what is familiar to all of us...in Serbia, in Argentina, ... All Muslims use it, so I thought it would be very easy for him to pronounce it. Plus, I wanted him to impress Turkish speakers with that... and when two Turks saw it they reproached me and said I could not use it if I'm not a Muslim. Then, why don't you in your textbooks don't put this sentence "Selam aleykum is forbidden for non Muslim people" I told my friend about this "huge mistake" I made. My mood is down because of this.

13 de jun. de 2020 9:53

Respuestas · 14

"Selamun Aleykum" literally means "peace be upon you". I don't think there's any problem in using it.

13 de junio de 2020

‘As salaamu alaykum’ can be said by anyone. If we muslims hear a non-muslim use that sentence, we will obviously get confused because we are not used to it, but I’m sure the majority of us will reply with ‘wa alaykum salaam’ and have no problem with it. I myself am also Turkish and you just encountered the ignorant muslims. Anyone can say it, so use it freely if you feel like doing so.

26 de diciembre de 2023

"Selamun aleyküm" is nowadays mostly used among relatively religious circles and it has a religious connotation to it, so it's not surprising that people might find it weird when a non-muslim-looking person uses it. I would recommend using "merhaba" whenever possible, as it is the most neutral greeting. As was stated in a previous answer, some people do not pronounce the "h" in "merhaba" anyway. "Selam" is rather informal and should not be used when greeting someone you're not acquainted with. I mean you can use it when you're meeting a friend of a friend, but not towards people older than you or towards total strangers such as a taxi driver or a shop owner / employee.

6 de agosto de 2020

I have come across this from only two turks who said do not say the muslims religious greetings. But every other Turk I have met has said it is fine providing you say it right. And selam will always be understood as "hi" and the problem arrises if you try to say selam aleykum when you mean to say only selalm. I suppose Turkey is like all other nations there are a very few who make a fuss but the majority do not.

13 de junio de 2020

I think it depends on the environment and the people that you're talking with. Especially for men, it is almost a casual way to salute each other like this. But of course, if you are talking to a really conservative and religious person it might be a problem ( personally, i think it'd be overreacting though) Besides the religious meaning, it is also part of the language now. Anyway, he can go with the phrase "Selam", it is easy to pronounce and a casual word. Good luck :)

15 de junio de 2020

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