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An infidel (literally "one without faith") is an offensive English word meaning "one who doubts or rejects central tenets of a religion or has no religious beliefs", especially in reference to Christianity or Islam. When used in an Islamic sense it serves as a translation of the Arabic word kafir (literally "one who denies the blessings of God") referring to all non-Muslims.

Etymology

First used in Middle English circa 1460 (adjective, noun), from the Middle French infidèle, and from Latin infidelis "unfaithful," later "unbelieving," In the 15c. meaning "a non-Christian" (especially a Saracen); later "one who does not believe in religion" (1526). Also used to translate Arabic kafir, from a root meaning "to disbelieve, to deny," strictly referring to all non-Muslims but virtually synonymous with "Christian"; hence, from a Muslim or Jewish point of view, "a Christian".

In Christianity

In Roman Catholic Christianity, the term "infidel" is an ecclesiastical term referring to one who does not believe in the divinity of Jesus or one who has not been baptized. A heretic, in contrast, is an individual who believes in the divinity of Jesus, but also knowingly holds beliefs that contradict Catholic dogma, while a schismatic is an individual who does not hold beliefs contrary to Catholic dogma, but denies the authority of the Catholic Church.

In Islam

In Islam, the Arabic word kafir (كافر) refers to a person who inwardly or outwardly denies Allah and/or the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the term is considered derogatory. The term is usually translated into English as "infidel" or "unbeliever". The Turkish equivalent of "kafir" is giaour.

In Hinduism

In Hinduism, the terms for those who deny the doctrines of Hinduism are dasa (दास) and Nastik (नास्तिक). Dasa is also a historical derogatory term that with usage corresponding to the impious, demonic, foe, slave and servant while Nastika is applied to followers of dharmic religions who deny the authority of the Vedas such as Buddhism or Jainism.

See also

• Agnosticism
• Antitheism
• Apostasy
• Atheism
• Blasphemy
• Heathen

References

1. "Infidel", The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
2. "Infidel", Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
3. "infidel." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 23 Jul. 2007.
4. ^ Etymology of "infidel" by the Online Etymology Dictionary
5. Etymology of "kaffir" by the Online Etymology Dictionary
6. 1910 Catholic Encyclopedia
7. Bjorkman, W. "Kafir". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill, Brill Online.
8. India Ministry of Welfare, "Encyclopaedia of Social Work in India - Volume Two", 1987, Director, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, pg. 69
9. Kissory Chand Mittra, "Rammohun Roy and Tuhfatul Muwahhiddin", K.C. Bagchi, 1975, pg. 23
10. ^ Macdonell, Arthur Anthony. A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout. London: Oxford University Press, 1929 Online Version, Last Accessed 19 July 2007
11. Apte, Vaman Shivram. The Student's English-Sanskrit Dictionary. Motilal Banarsidass, Third Revised and Enlarged Edition. Pune, 1920; Reprint, Delhi, 2002, ISBN 81-208-0299-3.pg. 227
12. pp. 82, 224-49. Flood, Gavin (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

External links

• Definition of "infidel" by the Merriam-Webster dictionary
• Definition of "unbeliever" by the Merriam-Webster dictionary
• Definition of "kafir" by the Merriam-Webster dictionary

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