Word association

The word "Aryan" is commonly associated with fascism, racism, and Nazis. It is sad that a particularly divisive branch of government is the first thing that comes to mind when defining a fairly large and inclusive group of people.
In 1938, just before the World War II broke out, a German publisher sent a letter to J.R.R. Tolkien (the author of The Lord of the Rings) inquiring about translating his work The Hobbit into German. In the request, the publisher had asked if Tolkien was arisch, which was their way of finding out if he was a member of the "pure race." Particularly aware of the fascist government and his own German heritage, in his reply, Tolkien wrote:

25 July 1938
To Rutten & Loening Verlag
Dear Sirs,
Thank you for your letter ... I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by arisch. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-iranian; as far as I am aware noone of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of Jewish origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people. My great-great-grandfather came to England in the eighteenth century from Germany: the main part of my descent is therefore purely English, and I am an English subject - which should be sufficient. I have been accustomed, nonetheless, to regard my German name with pride, and continued to do so throughout the period of the late regrettable war, in which I served in the English army. I cannot, however, forbear to comment that if impertinent and irrelevant inquiries of this sort are to become the rule in matters of literature, then the time is not far distant when a German name will no longer be a source of pride.

Your enquiry is doubtless made in order to comply with the laws of your own country, but that this should be held to apply to the subjects of another state would be improper, even if it had (as it has not) any bearing whatsoever on the merits of my work or its sustainability for publication, of which you appear to have satisfied yourselves without reference to my Abstammung.

I trust you will find this reply satisfactory, and remain yours faithfully

J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien, among other things, was a linguist, having invented more than one language used in his books. He was aware that the word "Aryan" and it's derivative "arisch" were being used out of context. In Sanskrit, the Latin equivalent of India, the word "arya" was the word for noblemen. Plural became "aryan." This linguistic trait arose after the invasions of the "Aryans" from Persia. The modern Islamic Republic of Iran changed its name from Persia in 1935. The suffix "-an" is from Arabic and refers to a locale, similar to Pakistan or Afghanistan. The similarities between "Iran" and "Ayran" are obvious.

It's ironic that blond-haired, blue-eyed, nordic Europeans adopted the word "Aryan" because of its connotation with "master race." The influence of the Aryan culture did stretch over much of the known world at one point. The actual connotation of the word "Aryan" is far from what Nazis and white supremacists would like to believe. That white supremacists choose to associate with the traditionally browner, not to mention Islamic people, is very deserving.