Ketman

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Ketman is the act of paying lip service to authority while holding personal opposition. It is a sort of political or religious camouflage, for the purpose of survival, because, if you said publicly that you are against those in power, the consequences for you and your family would be immediate and catastrophic. So you can teach your children, in deep secrecy, to practice ketman exactly the same as you, but never to forget the real truth, as you see it. This can go on through many generations, and erupt one distant day in the form of revolutions, uprisings, etc.

Though the term was originally used exclusively in regards to Islamic authority, the term is most frequently encountered in reference to Communist authoritarianism.

[edit] Origins

The term originates in Persia, and was studied in Gobineau's book Religions and Philosophies of Central Asia. Czesław Milosz in his book The Captive Mind makes parallels between Ketman and the act of lying under the rule of Communists. In Arabic ketman means hidden.

[edit] See also

• Sadra – a famous example of someone who used Ketman to his advantage