Maybe I was misinformed but the definition I heard was neither of those. It was "the database." Al Qaeda started as a very loose affiliation of like-minded Islamic jihadists, a number so small their identities could be recorded -- longhand, IIRC -- in a list. Hence, "the database."

Maybe it's just a Saharan urban legend. I don't speak Farsi, neither. (Where is Charles Hankey when we need him? <lol>)

>I know it (I cheated and used Google) :o) Actually, it could either of two possible translations...
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>Lurkers don't read any further if you don't want to know....
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>The Rule or The Foundation :o)
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>>>http://www.insightmag.com/Media/MediaManager/Guantanamo.htm
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>>You're onto something here, Tracy. I'm going to start getting irritated at these Al Qaeda dudes pretty soon.
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>>Today's trivia question: what does the phrase Al Qaeda mean in English? Hint: it is a familiar word in our line of work.