Article in Sun Sentinel newspaper, April 2008. As reported by Matthew Lee, reporter for the Associated Press, the Bush administration has issued a memo with the following language directive:

Don't use the term "jihadist", which has broader religious meaning beyond war, or "mujahadeen", which refers to holy warriors.

Do say "violent extremists".

Don't use the term "al-Qaida movement", because this makes al-Qaida seem like a legitimate political movement.

Don't use "Islamo-fascism" and other terms that could cause religious offense.

Do use the term "totalitarian".

Don't label groups simply as "Muslims".

Do use descriptive terms to define how a group fits into society. For example: South Asian youth and Arab opinion leaders.

Don't use "caliphate" when explaining al-Qaida's goals, as this has positive implications.

Don't use "salafi", "Wahabbist", "sufi", "ummah", and other words from Islamic theology unless you are able to discuss their varied meanings. Particularly avoid using "ummah"to mean the Muslim world, as it is a theological term.

It seems curious that this directive comes more than 6 years after the 911 attacks. Some of the rationale appears plausible on the surface, but the net effect is to launder descriptive terms from discourse. If the government drops these terms, then media coverage will too. Hmmmm! The article says that the report "draws heavily on the Homeland Security report that examined the way American Muslims reacted to different phrases used by US officials to describe terrorists." The government's real motives seem to be questionable.

The Palestinian/ Israeli conflict glossary is filled with terms designed to mislead people and media, in a world where so many people are looking for the opportunity to be mislead and justify their anti-Semitism. The terms are the weapons in the PR war. When I hear the truly militant, anti-Palestinian Jews warn about the next Holocaust, I now listen, go to google, and connect the dots. I don't like the picture.