Is "Londonistan" pejorative?


















In 2005, I asked Merriam-Webster the following question. Associate Editor, Kory Stamper, replied as follows.

Q: In 2003, Daniel Pipes, an American expert on the Middle East, titled a post on his blog, “Londonistan Follies.” In 2005, Time magazine wrote, “In the years before Sept. 11, 2001, French authorities despaired at what they claimed was the tendency of the British authorities to turn a blind eye to events in ‘Londonistan.’” Also in 2005, historian Victor Davis Hanson wrote in National Review Online, “Its capital was dubbed Londonistan for its hospitality to Muslims across the globe.”

From these examples, it seems that Londonistan is pejorative, meaning that Britain is too hospitable to militant Muslims. Is this accurate, and do you plan to include the word, or perhaps the “-istan” suffix, in the next edition of your dictionary?

A: “Londonistan” is a relatively new coinage that still looks to be predominantly British. According to the evidence I have on hand, it dates back to 2001 and was supposedly coined by French counterterrorism officials who sneered at the British claim that human rights laws prohibited them from arresting suspected militants and al Qaeda lieutenants without evidence of a crime having been committed.

At this point, we don’t have enough evidence of either “Londonistan” or the suffixal “-istan” to merit entry into any of our dictionaries. Given more time and sustained usage, it may be a good candidate for future entry.

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