Student of Arabic - Accused of Terrorism

There are two different stories here, sheepgirl's at #3 with "Are you becoming a Muslim" and AndrewSmith's with "What do you have in your bag?"

I wouldn't ask someone reading Arabic "What do you have in your bag?" and I wouldn't recommend it. And now that I think of it, on my commuter train the last couple of years I often sat next to a guy who spent his commute reading Arabic.

But I think there's a difference between "What do you have in your bag?" and "Police! Terrorist!" which is what OP's header suggests. I don't mind people being cautious and if they have to err one way or the other I would prefer they err on the side of overcautiousness.

I don't mind people being cautious and if they have to err one way or the other I would prefer they err on the side of overcautiousness.

I agree if it is about looking at suspicious bags and asking in case of doubt. But seeing someone read Arabic and assuming that he might be a terrorist crosses the line.

welcome to the new age mccarthyism and the globalized witch hunt. now you will get a feel of what you actually read in your history texts. every era needs its own boogeyman.

lol

omg I can't stop laughing! :)

and your reply with the fluorescent yellow vest was epic lol but heeeeeeeeeey you still haven't told us what you had in your helmet! :)

funny but real sad at the same time, when you come to think of it. Being from Malta, I wonder what people like that woman would have thought if they'd visited Malta some 30 years ago when it was compulsory to learn Arabic at school, so there used to be lots of little cute kids running around with Arabic textbooks lol

and another thing, as if any real terrorist would answer "yes" to her question lol

Ma tantx hemm għalfejn nidħku Marica, għax anki hawn Malta stess ġieli staqsewni iniex se nsir Musulman sempliċiment għax nistudja l-Għarbi. Ġieli kont inkun l-università u naqbad nistudja daqsxejn u f'kemm ilni ngħidlek mitt mistoqsija jagħmlulek. Dawk li studjawh għax bilfors imbagħad jgħidulek li ma jiftakru xejn. Ħasra. Ara kemm kienu ma jaħmluhx!

There is little need nidħku Marica, because even here staqsewni iniex Malta itself will sometimes getting the Muslims just because I study Arabic. Sometimes I was studying at university and naqbad bit and say I have been many hundred jagħmlulek question. Those upper body because then tell you that not necessarily remember anything. Pity. See how they were not jaħmluhx!
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Thought you'd like to see what Google did to that.

Google's translation tool couldn't be worse for Maltese.

I ma jistax jimmaġina għaliex qed tilmenta!

Hehe, that's so funny. It's even in 3rd person masculine. :P For some reason, Maltese translation in Google is the worst you can get for any language.

Did you get anything from the translation?

No, not a word. I don't know a single word in Maltese unless I can guess it from a few disjointed years of Arabic.

Are you 3rd person masculine? I hope it got something right.