I used to be a prison ministry in one of this
country's most needy states. Upon entering
one of the prison yards before a service,
Several apparent Muslims watched us walk
by, and one said, 'Say Salaam to them, they
hate that.' I turned to the speaker and asked
as kindly as I could, 'Doesn't Salaam mean
'peace' in Arabic?' The speaker acknowledged
my translation was correct, so I asked once
more, 'Then why would I hate it if you speak
peace to us, who are seeking the blessing of
God here?' The speaker turned and walked
away from everything. The Vulcan salute,
created by Leonard Nimoy, represents the
Hebrew word 'Shaddai ('The Almighty')', or
'Shalom' (peace). What would there be for
anyone to be offended by in this? Hebrew
is actually one of the ancient sources for
the English language you write in now.