# What's this mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 22, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188 "2005-11-22T01:52:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Thinktank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188/1 "2005-11-22T01:52:28Z")

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Try not to laugh.  
I saw a farce on TV about the R Kelly trial where the defense lawyer says to drive his point home (can’t spell this) SAH-LAM MU LAK-UM and then the people in the jury say MU LAKUM SAH-LAM… kinda like “word” (heh). What’s this mean?

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**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188/2 "2005-11-22T02:00:55Z")

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[Assalamu alaikum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_salaam_alaikum) (transliterated a whole bunch of different ways) is a traditional Arabic or Muslim greeting meaning “peace be upon you”; the traditional reply, “wa alaikum assalam” means “and on you be peace”.

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**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188/3 "2005-11-22T02:20:39Z")

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In the context of the Boodocks episode which I’m presuming you got this from, it’s a reference to the [Nation of Islam](http://www.noi.org/). The NOI is strongly associated with Black Nationalism and other efforts for African-Americans.  
The lawyer is in the middle of playing up the race of R. Kelly and so makes that statement at the end to imply that this trial is part of the whole struggle of black people in America as well.

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**Author:** ![Thinktank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Thinktank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinktank)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188/4 "2005-11-22T04:37:10Z")

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Thanks guys

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188/5 "2005-11-22T06:02:10Z")

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You may perhaps be familiar with the Yiddish version of the phrase, or at least the first half of it: _shalom aleichem_.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-mean/332188/6 "2005-11-22T15:41:13Z")

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Then there’s the boys’ locker room translation:

“Peace on you,” and the reply,

“Oh yeah? Well, peace on you, too!” 😉