Thursday, February 23, 2006

Do You Read Arabic? I Read Pictures.

The Difference


Sent in by one of our peripatetic readers, off in the ether zone this time. She probably presumed I read Arabic???

Would someone translate the words? Do they confirm or contradict the obvious surface meaning of the cartoon?

18 comments:

Don Miguel said...

I can't read it, but the uniform is unrealistic and along with the helmet he looks pre-volunteer army.

Baron Bodissey said...

One hesitates to tell an esteemed co-blogger, but that's Hebrew. Wait till Abbagav gets here.

dirty dingus said...

Its Hebrew not Arabic BTW

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/arabic.htm
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hebrew.htm


Share & Enjoy

Mother Effingby said...

This was something I believe I saw on omdurman.org's site. It shows the difference between Hamas using women and children as human shields, and the Israeli soldier shielding women and children. The difference between cowardice and bravery.

Dymphna said...

senescent wasp...

so that's your name. I thought you were of the she gender.

Oh well. My grasp is as good as my Hebrew.

Van Wallach said...

Reading from right to left, the three Hebrew letters on the left, over the Arabs, are the "Tzahal," an acronym for the Israeli Defense Forces.

If you want Tzahal t-shirts, look here:

http://www.judaicaheaven.com/Detail.bok?no=20

Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

The word on the right is "ruach," which means "spirit." I didn't recognize "Tzahal," but being an acronym for "Israeli Defense Forces," it's not biblical Hebrew anyway.

As has been pointed out, the expression means "Spirit of the Israeli Defense Forces."

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

Dymphna said...

So that's what "ruach" looks like.

It's a good thing my elderly Jewish cousin-in-law doesn't do computers...he would look at my mistake and swear it was genetic that I didn't recognize Hebrew...

...once, my Irish cousin, his wife, decided she'd learn Hebrew and that her husband would teach her. So every night after dinner they would sit down with a drink and attempt a Hebrew lesson. After half an hour or so, Jewish husband would mutter something about "thick micks" and the Dublin lass would be on about "the Hebe in the house."

Otherwise, they got along fine.

But as you see, my failing is, indeed, genetic.

Dymphna said...

senescent wasp:

when you say this is meant for internal consumption...am I to consume the image or merely internalize it?

Just asking.

And of course, I knew you weren't no girl...not in any of your disguises. Though it's one you might consider if your legs aren't too hairy.

Or a burqa maybe.

Thanks,everyone, for your help. I'm considering getting one of those T-shirts. A great outfit to wear to an Episcopal service.

AbbaGav said...

Great picture. Maybe it really should be translated into Arabic for some tshirts going to other markets. Might not sell too well, but hopefully the message, even if not purchased, would fester inside once it is seen.

Myra Langerhas said...

I believe it is from the "Testicular Assassin Societyt", set to kill all Infidels well before they are a problem.

Nancy Reyes said...

I've seen this before...it's Hebrew, of course...and it shows the difference between the Arab, using women and children as shields, and the Israeli soldier, standing in front of women and children to protect them...
It is used to show that the ones who state "equivalence" between attacking a grandmother at passover is not the same as aiming a missle at a terrorist leader who deliberately hides in a house full of women and children to discourage the Israelis from killing him...

bernie said...

In Hebrew - Dover Zahal

It means Israeli Defense Forces Spokeperson

http://www1.idf.il/DOVER/site/homepage.asp?clr=1&sl=EN&id=-8888&force=1

The Logo Dover Zahal means this came from the official website of the IDF.

I also have an update to Muslim patents:

More Muslim Inventions

bernie said...

Soory I was looking at another posting-


Ruach Zahal - does mean the spirit of the Army - sorry if someone reads the above - and misunderstands

Freedom Fighter said...

Hi Dymphna

This can be loosely translated as
ruach Tzahal...`spirit (or motivation) of the tzahal, or Israeli Army.

This is a pretty well known graphic in cetain circles, and it contrasts the spirit/purpose of the IDF in protecting women and children as opposed to Palestinian terrorists hiding behind their women and children.

Apropos indeed....Am Yisroal Chai!

Manny C said...

Hi Dymphna

Great blog. I saw this picture a while back. Not sure where though. The writing is indeed Hebrew.

Arabic is much more cursive. Hebrew is distinguished from Arabic by being more "blocky".

Anonymous said...

3 arguments to dismiss this somewhat propaganda:

1. If Israeli soldier really shields women and children from the casualties of war, then why are they now targeting missiles to civilians? Like what is happening right now? A university? Come on, where are your humanitarian image as proposed?

2. Seriously, they don't give a damn to any walking Palestinians, a boy with rocks and stone versus a completely armed Israeli soldier? They don't look like a Hamas Islamist to me....and certainly that doesn't look like the picture as proposed

3. Now Hamas is proposing truce, rejected by the Israeli government, now who really is promoting violence and continued gun fighting? Just for a single captured Israeli soldier, hundreds of innocent lives are taken away, and by the way how many Palestinians are caught again? Oh, hundreds. What a shame.

Three reasons; Outrageous civilian targets, violent war conducts, and of course unjustified, unreasonable standings in the fight

Anonymous said...

Salah El Din is coming soon insha Allah.
Al Qouds is Arabic the history assured that