From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Thu Feb 14 2002 - 08:51:14 MST
Brian D Williams wrote,
> >> alcohol is Muslim word.
> >Might I ask what you mean by that ?
>
> Alcohol comes from the Arabic "al-kuhl".
>
> Alcohol was first produced in the area known as the fertile
> crescent, what we know as the middle east (specifically modern
> Iraq).
But the word does not derive from any potable beverage. The word "alcohol"
derives from the Arabic "Al-Kuhl" or "Al-Kahala". Kahala was a satiny
powder used to paint the eyebrows. Alcohol was found to be a good solvent
to dissolve the powder to produce smoother application. The word therefore
refers to a solvent used as an ingredient in make-up. This was its basic
meaning and how it was regarded by the Muslims. Anybody drinking alcohol to
get high would be regarded like a solvent-sniffer in the West.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant <www.Newstaff.com> Board Member <www.Extropy.org> Cofounder <www.ProgressAction.org> Member <www.Transhumanism.org>
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