Re: Osama or Usama?

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyross.com>]

On 8 Oct 2001 at 1:36, Jeremy Mixer wrote:

> Something that caught my interest, I am at work, my shift is winding down,
> and I am checking out some of the various news web sites to see if there
> are any news updates. Every news agency from the best of my knowledge
> spells Osama bin Laden just as I typed it. However, foxnews.com seems to
> insist on spelling it Usama bin Laden. Are both correct, or is foxnews on
> crack?

Since Arabic is written with a different alphabet, there is no one right way to transliterate words.  
Both "Moslem" and "Muslim" are correct, for example.  Sometimes one sees "Qur'an" instead lf 
"Koran."  "Osama" and "Usama" are also probably both correct.  As is the case with various 
English words, sometimes one spelling is used in the United States and another spelling is used 
in the rest of the world.

We also see this in Hebrew words, such as "Chanukah" and "Hanukkah."
 
> The more I watch foxnews, the more they seem to be very opinionated,
> however they claim to provide the best news coverage.......news coverage
> wise I can't seem to see too much of a difference between any of the
> various news services on cable and online, I find out new info from all of
> them, however I detect foxnews offering opinions more often then any
> others.....

This morning, Fox News had a report from the German Chancellor that "Bonn supports the U.S. 
actions..."  I would think they ought to know that Bonn is no longer the capital of Germany.

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 A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                                     617.367.0468
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