The phrase "apostate guards" appears in news accounts of the war and insurgency in Iraq.
It is the term typically used by Iraqi insurgents when referring to what US news organizations typically call "Iraqi soldiers". As Iraqi surgents most likely don't issue statements in English, I'm assuming it is the translation provided by some news organization, perhaps Aljazeera.
Out of curiosity, I looked up "apostate." The term refers to someone who has abandoned one's principles or cause, such as religious faith or a political party. Therefore, in this context, it is roughly equivalent to "traitor," presumably to Islam or the Baathist party.
I raise the issue not to make any political judgements, but rather to enhance my vocabulary and my understanding of how terms are used in a politically charged context to frame the debate or news.
posted on Wed, 02 Mar 2005 at 11:27 | path: /words | perma link
