I guess it does rankle me to be called a "kafir". I have given up calling people the Christian epitaph "infidel". I think people of all religions should give up labeling people of other faiths as "unbelievers". Is that possible or would that be "against" Islam? Is using the label "kafir" important to your faith?
By the K word I merely meant "non-Muslim", which of course you are; just like I am a non-Christian. However, if I go by its literal meaning then I would be very cautious in calling you a kafir.
The literal meaning of Kafir is very interesting indeed, and perhaps an understanding of its linguistic particulars will help you understand the psyche of Islam.
Kafir in Arabic literally means "to cover", it is derived from the root that could also be used to explain the way a farmer covers his seeds with soil.
Applied to faith, it means to cover up the truth with falsehood or to deny the truth. Logically therefore, a prerequisite for being a kafir is that ones heart confesses to the truth, only to cover it up. No man can know what another mans heart conceals and for that reason I do not call individuals Kafirs; only God knows whats in your heart, and only God knows whether or not you are rejecting the truth after it has come to you.
I understand that my remarks came as a shock, and I agree that its use was unwise considering whats going on in the world today.