Normally when I want to use "anti" to create an opposite I hyphenate thus anti-this, anti-that, anti-the-other. However on my blog entry today I wanted to talk about a right wing group in England who call themselves The English Defence League. They were holding a protest in Birmingham (my view of which can be found on the blog) supposedly against "Islamic extremism". I wanted to say that they were anti and a first, without really considering it I wrote anti-islamic-extremism. As soon as I'd written it I saw the ambiguity. I took out the hyphens and it still looked ambiguous. I tried with just the first and then just the second hyphen. Neither produced the result I wante.
Exactly how would you punctuate this phrase.
(Yes I know I can rewrite, I am choosing not. The question is how to produce the meaning I intend.)

It works for me as "anti-Islamic extremism" if they're the extremists; "anti-extremist Islamics" if the Islamics are the extremists.

quote:

Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:
It works for me as "anti-Islamic extremism" if they're the extremists; "anti-extremist Islamics" if the Islamics are the extremists.

"anti-extremist Islamics" can be interpreted as Islamics who are against extremists (whatever "Islamics" are). I'm not sure if it can be hyphenated so it is unambiguous.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,

quote:

Originally posted by goofy:

quote:

Originally posted by Asa Lovejoy:
It works for me as "anti-Islamic extremism" if they're the extremists; "anti-extremist Islamics" if the Islamics are the extremists.

"anti-extremist Islamics" can be interpreted as Islamics who are against extremists (whatever "Islamics" are). I'm not sure if it can be hyphenated so it is unambiguous.

The interpretation I was looking for was people who are against Islamic extremists which can be done by voice tone and stress when speaking. In the end I settled for anti "Islamic extremists" although I wasn't very happy with it.

Anti IslamicExtremists
Anti-Islamoextremists
AntiIslamicExtremists
Pro-Islamic Moderates

Well, there is no answer to this that really works, so the world will have to come up with an entirely new word, something that means People for Peaceful Islamic Expression, or P-PIEs.

Wordmatic