Midway through Tuesday night’s chaotic presidential debate, viewers all over the world could not help but notice Joe Biden using the famous Arabic phrase ‘Inshallah’ to mock President Trump. When Trump vowed to release his still-private tax returns, Joe Biden shot back at his opponent with a particularly sarcastic jab. While the phrase translates to “God willing,” it also has colloquial connotations of ambiguous commitment.
“Millions of dollars and you’ll get to see it,” Trump said of the amount he claims to have paid.
“When?” the Democratic presidential nominee interjected. “Inshallah?”
Suddenly, many Arab American viewers were collectively doing a double-take on the Internet. Did Biden really just use “Inshallah”?
The former vice president has battled a stutter and is known for sometimes tripping over his words, so many viewers were left wondering if he had actually said “under the law?” or “In July?” or even “Enchilada?” Hours later, his campaign confirmed that it was true: Biden had in fact used the phrase
Besides its literal meaning of God willing, Inshallah can also be used in a way to suggest something won’t ever happen. Writer Wajahat Ali called this interpretation of the word the “Arabic version of ‘fuggedaboudit (forget about it)’.”
Source: The Washington Post
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