إليكم مقالة حول هذا الموضوع ومنها يتضح :

* أن هناك أربعة أصول ممكنة لكلمة (مسجد) باللغة الإنجليزية :
1- مستمد من الكلمة الفرنسية (Mosquee) التي كانت موجودة أثناء الفترة التاريخية المعروفة باسم (الفرنسية المتوسطة)
2- مستمد من الكلمة العربية (Masjid)
3- مستمد من الكلمة الإيطالية القديمة (Moschea)
4- مستمد من الكلمة الإسبانية القديمة (Mezquita)
واستخدمت هذه الكلمات المختلفة لوصف مكان عبادة وصلاة المسلمين بمختلف اللغات المذكورة

* أن ظهور وإطلاق الكلمة الإنجليزية (Mosque) على المسجد كان عام 1711 ميلادية تقريبا (وهذا بعيد عن فترة حكم الملك فرديناند والحروب الصليبية حيث ولد الملك فرديناند السابع عام 1784 ميلادية وتولى الحكم الأسبانى عام 1812 ميلادية)

* أن معانى الكلمات تتسم بالديناميكية وتتغير مع مرور الوقت في كثير من الأحيان عن المقصد الأصلى

* أنه من المحتمل أن تكون هناك العديد من الكلمات في جميع اللغات تنجم عن الجهل أو الكراهية أو التعصب الذى قد يكون موجودا بين الشعوب أو الأجناس أو القبائل أو الأديان المختلفة

* مثال على ذلك المصطلح العربي : (عجمي) الشائع استخدامه على مر التاريخ الإسلامي للإشارة إلى غير العرب أو أولئك الذين لا يتكلمون اللغة العربية ..... فى البداية كان معنى هذه الكلمة فى الإنجليزية (Ajami) شتيمة وإهانة متعجرفة على المتكلمين بغير العربية (تشبيه بالحيوانات، مثل الماعز والأبقار) . أما الآن ، فهذا المصطلح أصبح مرادفاً للتعبير عن الشعوب الغير متحدثة بالعربية (خصوصا الفارسية)

أى أن سبب التسمية المذكور خاطىء ..... والله أعلم

Question : I was flipping through this book the other day called ‘The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam’ and it is filled with fun facts. One of them concerns the term ‘Mosque’. This book pointed out that the term ‘mosque’ is derived from the Spanish word for ‘mosquito’. It was termed as such because during the Crusades, King Ferdinand said they were going to go and swat the Muslims ‘like mosquitoes’. Please let me know

Answer : From my research, I have found that there are four possible origins for the word ‘mosque’ in the English language. The first possibility is that it derives from the French word ‘mosquee’ that existed during the period in French linguistic history known as ‘Middle French’. The second possibility is that it is a derivative of the Arabic word ‘masjid’. The third possibility is that it derives from the Old Italian word ‘moschea’ and the final possibility is that it comes from the Old Spanish word ‘mezquita’. These various words were used to describe the Muslim place of worship in the various languages mentioned.
My research found no indication that mosque was derived from the word ‘mosquito’. Regarding the appearance of the term mosque in the English language, scholars suggest it was around 1711 AD. This is far after King Ferdinand and the Crusades. It might be that the term ‘mezquita,’ used to describe a masjid in old Spanish, came from the word ‘mosquito’ and then subsequently the term ‘mezquita’ was used to form the term mosque. However, this would not mean that the term mosque was developed as a result of the story you related.
With the above in mind, I believe it is important to keep a sensible perspective when approaching the origin of words. Words are dynamic and over time often change their meanings from what they originally may have been intended for. It is likely that there are many words in all languages that result from the ignorance or hatred that may have once existed between peoples, races, tribes or religions. We should consider contemporary usage of words and the intention of their current meanings as most important.
Two examples of this might help give a better perspective. The term ‘picnic’ in the English language came under fire some years back when certain scholars suggested that it was actually a shortened version of ‘pick a nigger’. Some decades ago, in the US, there was a racist and vulgar practice known as lynching, where a mob of white people would torture and mutilate a black person (then derogatively called a ‘nigger’), often under the false pretext that this person was guilty of a crime. This lynching often involved an entire event where people brought food and family to a park and watched the lynching. Subsequent to the lynching they would take pictures next to the mutilated body! Some scholars contend that the concept of a picnic, and the actual term, resulted from this practice of ‘picking a nigger’ to lynch and having a small feast at the event. Now despite the possibility of a treacherous background to this word, its usage in common times connotes nothing of the sort.
Similarly, the Arabic term ‘ajami has commonly been used, throughout Islamic history, to refer to non-Arabs or those who did not speak Arabic. The meaning of this word is actually in reference to those animals, like goats and cows, that make one syllable sounds. Hence, the term contains cultural superiority and a arrogant insult towards non-Arabic speakers. However, now this term has become synonymous with non-Arabic speaking peoples, forsaking its original background.

مع تحياتى
Doctor X